Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth with Bill Moyers
Forty years ago, renowned scholar Joseph Campbell sat down with veteran journalist Bill Moyers for a series of interviews that became one of the most enduringly popular programs ever on PBS. In dialogues that adroitly span millennia of history and far-flung geography, the two men discuss myths as metaphors for human experience and the path to transcendence.
Released shortly after Campbell’s death on October 30, 1987, The Power of Myth was one of the most popular TV series in the history of public television, and continues to inspire new audiences. (1988)
Ep. 1: The Power of Myth – ‘The Hero’s Adventure’
Joseph Campbell encourages the audience to discover what excites them, and to make that the basis for their personal journeys.
Ep. 2: Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth — ‘The Message of the Myth’
In this episode of The Power of Myth Bill and mythologist Joseph Campbell compare creation myths from the Bible and elsewhere.
Ep. 3: The Power of Myth — ‘The First Storytellers’
Joseph Campbell explains how ancient myths bring humans to understand and accept birth, growth and death.
Ep. 4: The Power of Myth – ‘Sacrifice and Bliss’
Bill Moyers and Joseph Campbell discuss where heroism can be witnessed in modern society.
Ep. 5: The Power of Myth – ‘Love and the Goddess’
Joseph Campbell traces the beginning of love, as we think of it today, to twelfth-century troubadours.
Ep. 6: The Power of Myth – ‘Masks of Eternity’
Bill Moyers and Joseph Campbell discuss the common experience of God across cultures.