Rating: 
Summary: The Greatest DVD in the Whole World!
Review: I am currently in honors english. We are studying the role of heroes and the parts they play in mythology. This movie really opened my soul to a new way of thinking about what a hero aactually is. A hero is someone who doesn't always start out as being good, but they always end up doing the right thing in the end.Joseph Campbell really had the whole hero idea figured out when he was interviewed in the video. The stories he told and examples he provided showed me ordinary people whom I had little to no interest in, and presented them as being a hero of the world. The views he shared and the analogies he compared really shaped my perception on how I look at and read mythology and ancient writing. I am a pretty deep guy, but Joseph Campbell gives deep a whole new meaning. He was talking about how "mythology is the song of the universe" and that earth is really just one person within itself. It was a really interesting way to look at our lives. This movie has changed the way I look at life and the heavens that control it. What really inspires me is the confidence Campbell displayed during the interview when he was asked difficult questions that I was "green" to. In a way, I would say Campbell could be an example of a modern day hero. I'm sure he had to put great effort into researching and studying about the subject of mythology. Then, to top it all off, he had to express his thoughts, feelings, and emotions in words while being filmed! This man is awesome! I can't believe he knows all that he does about heroes and the way they have shaped our society and world. The future of my life lies in the hands of me and the decisions I choose to, or not to make. Joseph Campbell has provided with valuable life lessons and intriguing insight that has changed me as a person. I want to read and watch more of Joseph Campbell. I can't wait to see what the next movie is about and how it will alter my life the way this one has.
Rating:
Summary: Showed me how mythology relates to our stories and our lives
Review: The Power Of Myth is a very interesting film that sheds a new light on mythology and how it relates to our lives. Though it can move rather slowly in parts, many of the ideas are ones that catch your attention. Joseph Campbell's immense knowledge of mythology was amazing. He has an interesting way of revealing things about mythology and life that we may have overlooked many times before. He is able to explain how there is a certain typical sequence of actions a hero takes that is reoccurring in our stories and myths.
According to Campbell, the hero's quest consists of departure, fulfillment, and return. He talks about the many types of heroes, such as one that sets off on a quest verses a hero that is thrown into one. He says the quest is a transformation of conscious, a loose definition that allows us to apply his ideas to our own lives. He made statements not only about the consistency of mythology, but also the consistency with which it affects the way we live. He reveals several motifs, such as gold turning to ashes, and relates them to things that often happen in real life. I will admit the film was not especially captivating, but the ideas will interest anyone who is willing to listen.
My favorite aspect of this film is probably the way Campbell can relate ancient mythology to the stories of today. The movie clips and stories that were included proved how themes are reoccurring in our stories. He uses clips of the movie Star Wars to show the hero's quest. It is interesting to see how we still value many of the same qualities in a hero as people did many years ago. Campbell helps us see how heroes in ancient myths, modern stories, and real life are all related.
Rating:
Summary: Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth: My Review
Review: I enjoyed the interview with Joseph Campbell done by Bill Moyers. Campbell's
words were descriptive and moving. I loved the way he described the hero archetype as
the hero with 1,000 faces that is detected is stories everywhere. Campbell said the hero is
the one who has given his life to something other than himself with the moral objective to
save something suck as a people or an idea as he evolves with the culture around him.
Something else I enjoyed Campbell speak about was the comparisons of Moses,
Christ, Buddha, and the last prophet Muhammad to heroes in the fact that they each had a
calling, a departure, a triumph, a return, and a reward. These are the five basic parts of a
hero's journey. All four of these men also had a "transformation of consciousness", as
described by Campbell.
I agree with Campbell in the sense that George Lucas' movie Star Wars showed
great examples of the standard mythical heroes. In the movie the hero, Luke Skywalker,
goes for something. Campbell describes this as more than just the hero going for sudden
adventure. Campbell brilliantly calls it "serendipitous." The definition of the word
serendipity is the occurrence of discoveries by accident. Thus meaning the hero is
somewhat called upon by fate and he only gets the adventure he is ready for.
Another thing spoken about in the interview that I particularly liked was the "belly
of the whale" sequence. This gained its mythological meaning from the Biblical tale of
Jonah and the Whale. Campbell compares this story to a similar sequence in the movie
Star Wars where Skywalker, Princess Lea, and Chewbacca are stuck in the garbage
compact and have to escape.
In closing, I thought the interview was a quite beautiful way to explain the hero
archetype. My favorite part of the interview was when Bill Moyers asked Joseph Campbell
to explain to him and clarify his understanding of the meaning of the myth. Campbell says
to Moyers that these myths are not just stories, but that we live and breathe the myth. It is
almost as if we are the myth. Campbell says that this is so because we are the
consciousness, or the eyes, of the earth. I believe we are.
Rating: 
Summary: Are we all HEROS... already?
Review: The Power of Myth: The Hero's Adventure is an informative interview that is drenched with wisdom. However, it was not too entertaining or intriguing. In this film, author, Joseph Campbell is interviewed by Bill Moyers. The interview was filmed on Skywalker Ranch. In this intense interview, Campbell explains his logic on Hero Cycles, which represent a "going and return." Campbell explains how every hero must first die or leave his present condition and then mature into a full adult hero. He believes that everyone is a hero at birth. In his interview, Campbell gives many examples to back up his beliefs and theories. The setting of the interview gives rise to one example, George Lucas's Star Wars Episodes. Several clips from Star Wars are shown in this video, and through these movie clippings, viewers can see the type of heroic steps these characters take as Joseph Campbell explains them to his interviewer.
Campbell gives many other examples of heroes throughout the interview; some of these heroes include: Moses, Buddha, Muhammad, and Jesus Christ. One can follow Moses' heroic steps, which are departure, fulfillment, and return. Campbell enlightens Moyers and all viewers how every hero follows the same cycle or pattern such as these steps that Moses took. He says there must be some kind of transformation of consciousness through trials and revelations before one becomes a hero.
To help clarify his point and to spice up the interview a bit, Campbell tells mythological stories; he tells stories of Indians, dragons, and snakes. He says that we all can find our heroic path by finding our bliss and capturing it. Campbell says that myths are stories that tell the mystery of life and that they evolve from the same place as dreams do.
This film is very deep, and at times, it is hard to follow because of its slow pace. I would not recommend anyone watch this who is searching for a captivating and engaging movie or anyone who cares nothing for heroic myths. However, if you are curious about the adventures of heroes, this is the movie for you!
Rating:
Summary: Insightful journey into the human concious
Review: I am a sophomore in high school and recently watched "Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth" as an introductory into mythology for an honors literature class. As my instructor pushed in the tape, telling us students to pay attention and listen closely, I fully expected to spend the next hour or so in a state of moderate monotony. I was pleasantly surprised, however, when this video turned out to be a enchanting interlude into philosophy. I have always had an avid interest in history and consequently history's myths. The connections that two cultures, located on separate ends of the world, can unknowingly make through mythology is an captivating concept worthy of scholarly interest. For instance, a constellation in our night sky known as the Seven Sisters is clearly referred to as a grouping of seven stars in many ancient cultures, even though only six are visible to the naked eye. The sheer magnitude of Campbell's comprehension and realization of the human conscious left me with the same aftertaste as J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven. I felt as if I myself had undertaken the hero's path myself. I had transcended into a world of higher understanding through Campbell's words and theories and had come back altered in ways that I know will unquestionably mold my conscious and unconscious thoughts. I loved Campbell's view of the 'hero inside.' To me, one does not have to go out and do the classic bit of saving the world. Instead, a hero is found in the most unlikely of places. Whether it is Frodo Baggins, a small child battling AIDS in a world that could-if the prosperous realized their duty to humanity-at least prevent the disease from deteriorating, or a stranger on the street who drops a dollar in a homeless man's cup. The largest acts of heroism are not always the grandest or most recognized. Where would humanity be without the hero? The hero serves as a basis for behavior, defining the concept of bravery and self sacrifice. The deeds of a hero echo with mortal man's desire to rise above themselves and become that elusive 'more.' I loved Campbell's quote at the beginning of the film. He stated, 'We are not alone, for all the heroes of the world have gone before us.' Eloquently said, Mr. Campbell, and the quintessence of truth, if I might say. Another phrase that has been floating around in my mind, refusing to leave, is the phrase 'easy religion, cheaply achieved.' The weight, the truth of that statement rings clear in my mind. Too often, in our world today, people adopt a faith, not truly knowing or bothering to discover the intricate complexity of humanity's concept of the divine. Religion cannot be a fad. It must be gained through an individual's innate pull to God, no matter the form that one desires to worship. Campbell brought up another point that I thought was highly intriguing. He stated that humanity was in fact the living, breathing consciousness of Ghia, the Earth. I had never thought of this concept before; I had always viewed the Earth as a separate entity abused by humanity. As always, though, Campbell's words had laid a new perspective to one of my long accepted concepts. In other words, I fully recommend the words and thoughts of Mr. Campbell to anyone who wishes to attain a greater understanding of the human conscious and the very concept of a hero. Though the video does not have a Hollywood style plot, it doesn't need it. Joseph Campbell has the ability to draw you in without the use of grandiose stunts.
Rating: 
Summary: A treasure chest of wisdom and knowledge
Review: Joseph Campbell was, without a doubt one of the greatest thinkers ever and "Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth" is evidence of this. While much of Campbell's work were meant for the academic community, the interviews contained in this series show Campbell's ideas and beliefs about myths, religion, and life, that everyone can understand. Campbell's ideas were not those of your ordinary scholar on myth but closer to thinkers like Carl Jung. He believed that myths should be interrupted symbolically and how they apply to our lives. He tells us that myths are not just from the past but how we have many myths in our own present state. Campbell tells us how we should follow our bliss and take the hero's journey. These interviews will not only inform you about the world of myth but inspire your own life. Whenever I start to despair, I come back to these interviews to recieve Campbell's wisdom again and again.
Rating:
Summary: Humanity's Greatest Hits!
Review: Joseph Campbell was a teacher of the great spiritual truths from all of the world's religions. Campbell shows us the difference between connotation and denotation and invites us to read the mythology of the world as a field of reference that refers directly to the transcendent. Mythology is a complicated language built on metaphors that can stump the ill-advised. In this series of interviews we learn that the organs of the body are in conflict with one another and the conflict is externalized by the creative power of our mythic imagination. The interviews are sprinkled with clips of fascinating footage from cultures around the world as well as works of art and brief illustrated stories set to music. Bill Moyers asks Campbell questions in a sometimes rigid and stilted voice but his heart is in the right place and he is certainly barking up the right tree. Together they explore difficult questions about the state of the world and the continuing relevance of mythology in rapidly changing times. Campbell as a teacher is gentle and inspires us to move forward along the course of our own lives armed with the tools of perception, wisdom and reflection. Along the way there are warnings about the dangers of rigid adherence to systems that threaten to overpower our own humanity. There are also invitations to see what is beautiful. Man has struggled over the ages to come to terms with a world that is at once both nurturing and threatening. In this modern world we wait for men like Joseph Campbell to come along and offer us the historical perspective and mental architecture that will help us build a healthy and functioning world view. We are challenged to do nothing less than bring forth the full potential of our beings for our own benefit and for the benefit of those around us. Watching these DVD's is about one of the best ways a person can spend some free time, there are very important conversations to explore here.
Rating:
Summary: Enlightening
Review: Not since Carl Sagen have I heard a man so in love with his subject. Joseph Campbell encourages us to remove the blinders imposed by religious leaders and to view life with our own eyes and to form our own opinions, to decide for ourselves what we truely believe. I have the DVD and the book. While the book is great, listening to Campbell brings the information home. In this time of emotional and religious upheaval it is imperative that we as a people broaden our view so as not to be lead down a path to our own destruction.
Rating:
Summary: YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO MISS THIS
Review: There are many worthy videos out there, many books offering guidance, opinions, etc. but nothing compares to Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers' the Power of Myth. To understand our culture, our religions, our fixations on good and evil, and our day-to-day existence, get your eyes opened and watch this DVD. I'm 46 years old, and I've struggled with aspects of Christianity, the other religions around the world, and my own seemingly unchartable variations of self, and to find Mr. Campbell addressing these issues and more is beyond great. I owe my new perspective of life to this series of interviews. I'm not so fond of Mr. Moyers, although I am grateful he did the interview, he is just not my cup of tea. However he did an EXCELLENT job and I applaud him. Thank God and the Gods and Goddesses from the beginning of time for Mr. Campbell and his studies.
Rating:
Summary: joseph campbell: the man with the myth
Review: In The Power of Myth: The Hero's Adventure (Volume One), Bill Moyers, the show's host, interviews Joseph Campbell, the father of modern myth. The interview is set on George Lucas's Skywalker Ranch in Northern California. The reason for this seemingly random setting is one of the main themes in the movie, which is how George Lucas's Star Wars movies can relate to myths of old. The movie involves many various clips from the three original Star Wars movies (Episode IV: A New Hope, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, and Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi) that depict certain aspects of myths being described in the interview. I think it is very interesting the way that the Star Wars movies are tied right into the interview and how the clips are shown along the way. Joseph Campbell does a very well job describing the myths he told about in the interview and telling how they relate to the Star Wars Clips. I believe this movie is a very complete portrayal of myths that can be a real learning experience for someone new to the world of mythology and even someone learned in the ways of myths. This movie is a bit slow a times, but a powerful movie nonetheless. I would recommend it for an older crowd, just because of the deep and intellectual level of the movie. Brandon Kryak
Cool-Guy Extraordinaire
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