Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

1923: Season One Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 21, 2023

Yellowstone mania and the fever pitch surrounding the show (now franchise) shows no signs of slowing. One of the most popular programs ever offered in the history of television, Creator Taylor Sheridan's brainchild has become a tour de force and an industry all its own. 1923 is the second spinoff, taking place a century or so prior to the main series. It follows the first rewind, 1883, and is just as successful in building the larger picture of the Dutton family legacy and the various feuds, trials, tribulations, and angles that brought the family into the present day. Starring the venerable duo of Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren as the then-Dutton family patriarch and matriarch, the show offers a satisfying look back at the family during a cultural, social, and familial transitional phase that plants more seeds for the fruit that the mainline series has been successfully bearing now for several seasons.

Official synopsis: 1923, a Yellowstone origin story, introduces a new generation of the Dutton family as they explore the early twentieth century when pandemics, historic drought, the end of Prohibition and the Great Depression all plague the mountain west, and the Duttons who call it home. The series is executive produced by Academy Award nominee Taylor Sheridan, co-creator of Yellowstone, and stars Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford.

As the story opens, 1923 spans two continents, the haunting memories of a world war, and a brewing war at home between the cattle ranchers and the sheepherders, brought on by a drought. It is the intersection of long held values and systems and changing times, a world on the cusp of an influx of modern technology that would redefine the world. 1923 tells a story, then, of familiar scenarios and struggles in a world that is setting the stage for what is to come. It’s a heartfelt, yet often physically bloody and emotionally traumatic, expression of the Dutton legacy that paves the way for the generations to come, served up as familiarly structured yet novel entertainment. The season is methodically structured yet quickly paced through eight episodes that expand on the world and legacy while also revealing its own postures and positions within the larger Dutton family tree.

Ford and Miren bring a gravitas to the show that it has not enjoyed previously, a stability and authenticity not missing from the previous series but never so firm and real as it is here. The chemistry they share is the finest of any two characters in the Yellowstone universe, and the interplay – whether lighter moments or the most intense dramatic shifts shared between them – is as believably rich, grounded, and powerful as any in the series. Support cast is solid, too, but Ford and Miren rightly dominate as they play characters who are fully individual yet demonstrate some of the same familial elements that have been seen in 1883 and which have dominated throughout Yellowstone.

The following episodes comprise season one. Summaries are courtesy of the Blu-ray packaging.

Disc One:

• 1923: 1923 follows a new generation of Duttons. Jacob quashes a dispute between cattle ranchers and sheepherders. Cara informs Liz of the sacrifices of marrying into the Dutton family. Meanwhile, another Dutton finds himself far from home.
• Nature's Empty Throne: Jacob and the Yellowstone cowboys save one of their own before deciding their next move. Teonna continues to endure at the hands of Sister Mary. Cara and Emma discuss Elizabeth and Jack.
• The War Has Come Home: Jacob, Cara, and the Duttons go into town to take care of some business, and pleasure. Spencer and Alexandria decide they won't waste any time, and later find new danger.

Disc Two:

• War and the Turquoise Tide: In the wake of the attack, Cara and the Duttons carefully plan their next move. Spencer and Alexandra enjoy the pleasures of Zanzibar, unaware of what has happened back home. Banner Creighton seeks a powerful ally.
• Ghost of Zebrina: Spencer and Alexandra begin their long journey back to Montana. Banner and Whitfield plot their next move to control the valley. Teonna goes to great lengths to secure her freedom and safety.
• One Ocean Closer to Destiny: In the wake of the tugboat crash, the next step in Spencer and Alexandra's fate is revealed. Cara and McDowell begin hiring new Livestock Officers. Teonna covers her tracks as Marshalls come looking.

Disc Three:

• The Rule of Five Hundred: Banner Creighton is met with a surprise, as the feud with the Duttons takes an unexpected turn. Captain Shipley says his goodbyes to Spencer and Alexandra as the next leg of their journey commences.
• Nothing Left to Lose: The feud between Whitfield, Banner, and the Duttons reaches the point of no return. Spencer and Alexandra encounter a different kind of peril on their passenger ship home.

1923: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

1923's 1080p transfer delivers a rock-solid image. Beyond some very mild source noise there are no intrusive source or encode faults here. The picture is meticulously clean and extremely well detailed, offering wonderfully complex skin textures, depth to clothing materials, and tangible accuracy to era specific elements, including storefronts, dirt roads, horses, and terrain. The image is never wanting for greater clarity and revelatory detail. The picture further offers a robust color grading presentation. Contrast and temperature are perfectly in-line, delivering a healthy, lifelike appearance without deviating from natural appearances. Black level depth is excellent, whites are bright, and skin tones look very true and healthy. This is a first-class Blu-ray from Paramount.

1923: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack is by-and-large very good. It offers good dynamics and range, and even limited to the traditional 5.1 setup it never struggles to offer a plethora of immersive audio cues and elements at every opportunity. Surround usage is regular but not intense. It's very well balanced and engaging, drawing listeners in as necessary but never overplaying its hand. Ditto the low-end extension. Listeners will feel involved in local town flavors, experience the gentle natural realities of open-air Montana, and enjoy the reverberation of gunshots around the stage. Musical elements are clear and nicely spaced along the front with, again, healthy back-channel support. Action is appropriately dynamic, with good depth to gunfire and running horses. Dialogue is clear and center positioned with only a few instances of mismanaged balance (listen as Jacob Dutton walks into a bar in the early minutes of episode one).

1923: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

1923: Season One contains supplements on all three discs. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release ships with a non-embossed slipcover.

Disc One:

• Behind the Story (1080p): Brief episode-by-episode overviews. Included on disc one are 1923 (7:42), Nature's Empty Throne (7:33), and The War Has Come Home (7:15).

Disc Two:

• Behind the Story (1080p): Brief episode-by-episode overviews. Included on disc two are War and the Turquoise Tide (7:20), Ghost of Zebrina (6:55), and One Ocean Closer to Destiny (5:41).

Disc Three:

• Behind the Story (1080p): Brief episode-by-episode overviews. Included on disc three are The Rule of Five Hundred (5:31) and Nothing Left to Lose (8:13).
• Unstoppable Change: The Adventure of 1923 (1080p, 43:37): A comprehensive look at the story, casting, characters, performances, locations, costumes, and more: an in-depth look into the how and the why behind 1923.
• I Am the Land: Teonna Rainwater (1080p, 13:45): A closer, focused look at Aminah Nieves' character and her importance to the show broadly and to Nieves herself specifically.
• Reflecting Humanity: The Art & Craft of Editing 1923 (1080p, 15:10): As the title suggests, this piece focuses on editing the show. Editor Chad Galster opens up about the process and the pleasure of helping to bring the show to life.
• Inside the Series (1080p, 17:39): 1883's Lamonica Garret guides viewers through the world of 1923.

1923: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

1923 is a worthy predecessor to Yellowstone and a worthy successor to 1883. The show plays within familiar arenas but does so with a capable balance of novelty. Much of the fun is watching the Yellowstone story take root in a more modern context, watching as more of the foundation is set for what is to come. Ford and Miren are perfectly cast and paired, the stories are tight, the drama is intense, the action is riveting, and the show proves its value from the opening minutes to the closing images. Paramount's three-disc release is feature-packed and delivers high yield video and audio presentations. Highly recommended!