Hollywood in Cowtown

Costumes and props from Yellowstone prequel 1883 go on display in North Texas

"1883: The Journey West" wraps up at the National Cowgirl Museum on April 17.

Photo courtesy of National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame

UPDATE 3-23-2022: Due to "unprecedented visitorship," the museum says, the exhibition will continue through April 17.

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Fort Worth's National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame is taking visitors inside the world of 1883, the Paramount+ series that's become the buzziest show on earth. The new exhibition "1883: The Journey West" opens at the museum on Friday, February 11 and runs through March 20.

Organized by the museum in partnership with 101 Studios, Visit Fort Worth, and the Fort Worth Film Commission, the special exhibition includes costumes, props, and photography from the Yellowstone prequel, which was filmed in and around D allas-Fort Worth from July to October of 2021.

Highlights include an authentic wagon; a camp set-up; and apparel worn by stars Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Sam Elliott, and LaMonica Garrett. There's also a display of behind-the-scenes photography.

Also of note is a collection of beaded items from Cowgirl Hall of Fame honoree Cathy A. Smith, an artist who works to preserve the history of the 19th century cowboy and cowgirl and the Plains Indians. The museum notes that Smith’s work was featured as part of the costuming for the Lakota, Crow, and Comanche tribes in 1883.

“A 'cowgirl' represents fortitude, determination, tenacity and grit," says David Glasser, CEO of 101 Studios, in a release. "It is that indomitable spirit that we are so thrilled to celebrate through the National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame’s upcoming exhibit '1883: The Journey West.'"

With apologies to Hollywood, there really is no better place for an 1883 exhibition than the Cowgirl Museum. The show is written and directed by Fort Worth native and Weatherford resident Taylor Sheridan, who also created Yellowstone (along with Sicaro, Hell or Highwater, Wind River, and more). His wife, actress Nicole Sheridan, is a Cowgirl Museum board member; and the Hall of Fame's 2021 Patsy Montana Award recipient, Christina Voros, is the cinematographer on the hit series.

“We are honored to host the '1883: The Journey West' exhibition," says Dr. Diana Vela, the museum's associate executive director. "The ties to Fort Worth history, pioneers, and trailblazers make it a natural fit. The captivating series complements some of the real-life stories of very own honorees."

Yellowstone and 1883 follow the lives of the Duttons, first with the modern-day Western drama of the John Dutton family, then with the late 19th-century story of James and Margaret Dutton’s move west across the U.S.

When it filmed in Fort Worth last year, 1883 employed hundreds of local production crew and extras, used local businesses, and heavily featured locations like the Fort Worth Stockyards, the release notes. The show — whose official trailer featured a killer line about the city, delivered by star Billy Bob Thornton — was built up as one of the buzziest newcomers of the year.

1883 debuted in December and reportedly set a premiere record of 4.9 million households. The Yellowstone season finale drew an estimated 65 million households.

Powered by the success of the shows, Fort Worth recently shot onto a prestigious list of top filmmaking cities for first time; the city landed at No. 25 on Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker, an annual list compiled by Los Angeles-based publication MovieMaker.

A couple of visits to the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo by two of the shows' biggest stars February 1 and 2 drew swarms of fans, near and far.

“We are proud to partner with the National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame and 101 Studios on this exhibition,” says Bob Jameson, president and CEO of Visit Fort Worth (which includes the Fort Worth Film Commission). “Film and television production not only creates jobs locally, it provides an opportunity to drive tourism to our city through location tours and exhibitions like this one.”

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"1883: The Journey West," February 11-March 20, National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame, Fort Worth. Entrance is included with museum admission; tickets and more information at cowgirl.net.

1883 cinematographer Christina Voros (second from left) accepts the Patsy Montana Award.

Christina Voros, National Cowgirl Hall of Fame Induction Luncheon

Photo by Ashley Gongora

1883 cinematographer Christina Voros (second from left) accepts the Patsy Montana Award.

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Movie Review

Great acting and directing drive The Christophers to artistic heights

Photo by Claudette Barius

Michaela Coel and Ian McKellen in The Christophers.

Director Steven Soderbergh is one of those filmmakers who — aside from the Ocean’s series — never seems to make the same kind of movie twice. He is somehow able to adapt his abilities to all sorts of different stories, making each of them as compelling as any other. His latest masterclass is in the London-set film, The Christophers.

Lori Butler (Michaela Coel), who restores art for a living, is approached by brother and sister Sallie and Barnaby Sklar (Jessica Gunning and James Corden) with a scheme. They want her to become the new assistant for their aging father, Julian (Ian McKellen), a famous artist known for a series called “The Christophers,” in order to gain access to unfinished paintings from the series and complete them herself.

Lori accepts the deal despite having some uneasy feelings about Julian, with whom she had a bad interaction years ago. Julian is just as wary, both because he knows of his children’s interest in the unfinished works, and because he would prefer to be left in peace. Although the trepidation on both sides continues for the bulk of the story, a grudging respect arises between two artists who know skill when they see it.

Directed by Soderbergh and written by Ed Solomon, who last collaborated on No Sudden Move, the film is astonishing in its ability to be compelling with such a small story. Much of the film is spent inside Julian’s multi-story home as Julian and Lori have low-level confrontations about a variety of things, including the meaning of his art, her abilities, the fate of the remaining “Christophers,” and more. Each conversation brings out more detail about their worldviews and their thoughts about their lot in life.

Much of the success of the film lies in the performances of McKellen and Coel. The 86-year-old McKellen has not lost his ability to astonish with the spoken word, and the monologues he delivers are engrossing even when they’re about mundane things. Coel, best known for the 2020 HBO show I May Destroy You, is a great foil for McKellen, never backing down from his challenges and giving her own unique takes on her lines.

While the film can be enjoyable for non-art lovers, those who appreciate the vagaries of the art world will have a lot to chew on. Soderbergh and Solomon debate a lot of aspects of art, including whether it’s possible to separate the art from the person making it, why some art is valued more than others, the ethics of forgery, and more. Because the film is about a fictional artist, it gives the filmmakers a bit more freedom in their criticisms.

Aside from McKellen and Coel, Gunning (Baby Reindeer) and Corden are the only other two people who get significant screen time in the film. Both of them are, let’s say, acquired tastes, and each gives an elevated performance that matches the energy of their respective characters. Tilly Botsford makes a nice impression in a small role as Julian’s masseuse.

Soderbergh’s last three films — Presence, Black Bag, and now The Christophers — have nothing in common other than the expert filmmaker helming all of them. When you can make a ghost story, a spy film, and a small film about artists equally interesting, you know you’re doing something right.

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The Christophers is now playing in theaters.

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