The Power of Myth

The Power of Myth is a six part documentary first broadcast on PBS in 1988 as Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth (it was also released as a companion book in 1988). This documentary is comprised of six one hour conversations between mythologist Joseph Campbell and journalist Bill Moyers.

Background

The interviews were filmed at George Lucas's Skywalker Ranch during the final two summers of Campbell's life (the series was broadcast on television a year after his death). In these discussions, Campbell presents his ideas about comparative mythology and the ongoing role of myth in human society. These talks include excerpts from Campbell's seminal work The Hero with a Thousand Faces.

The documentary

The documentary, Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth is broken up into six episodes:

Episode 1: The Hero's Adventure (first aired 6/21/1988 on PBS)
Episode 2: The Message of the Myth (first aired 6/22/1988 on PBS)
Episode 3: The First Storytellers (first aired 6/23/1988 on PBS)
Episode 4: Sacrifice and Bliss (first aired 6/24/1988 on PBS)
Episode 5: Love and the Goddess (first aired 6/25/1988 on PBS)
Episode 6: Masks of Eternity (first aired 6/26/1988 on PBS)

The book

The companion book for the series, The Power of Myth, (Joseph Campbell, Bill Moyers, and editor, Betty Sue Flowers) was released in 1988 at the same time the series aired on PBS. In the "Editor's Note" to The Power of Myth, Flowers credits Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, as "the Doubleday editor, whose interest in the ideas of Joseph Campbell was the prime mover in the publication of this book." The book follows the format of the documentary and provides additional discussions not included in the original six hour release.

Chapters

1. "Myth and the Modern World"
2. "The Journey Inward"
3. "The First Storytellers"
4. "Sacrifice and Bliss"
5. "The Hero's Adventure"
6. "The Gift of the Goddess"
7. "Tales of Love and Marriage"
8. "Masks of Eternity"

Star Wars

In the first episode of the series, The Hero's Adventure, ^* and the fifth chapter of the book, "The Hero's Adventure," Moyers and Campbell discuss George Lucas's claim that Campbell's work directly influenced the creation of the Star Wars films. Moyers and Lucas filmed an interview 12 years later in 1999, modeled after The Power of Myth. It was called the Mythology of Star Wars with George Lucas & Bill Moyers and further discussed the impact of Campbell's work on Lucas' films ^*.

The Goddess

In the fifth episode of the series, Love and the Goddess (Chapter 6: "The Gift of the Goddess" in the book) ^* Campbell discusses the correlation between the earth or mother Goddess and images of fertility, a concept also referred to as the Sacred feminine.

References

Book:

Moyers, Bill and Joseph Campbell. The Power of Myth. Betty Sue Flowers (ed.). New York: Doubleday, 1988.

DVD:

Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth with Bill Moyers (Bonus Interview with George Lucas on Mythology from The Mythology of Star Wars). Mystic Fire Video, 2001.

External links

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