Joseph Campbell - The Hero's Journey

This was a nice little production - the best part is seeing Campbell in action, telling his stories and captivating the students. He really seemed to live what he preached.

On this dvd Campbell explains about the argument he had with a radio show host as to whether a metaphor is a myth or a lie.

This is one of the more interesting Campbell dvd's I have watched. This documentary follows JC's own life story in the context of his classic work 'The Hero with a thousand faces.'

How his early interest in Indian Culture and their stories eventually crisscrossed with other cultures, his early Christian upbringing and moving away from that to discover the stories from other cultures, and spiritual systems, and get a more global perspective.

In particular he references a chance meeting with Indian philosopher Krishnamurti on an Atlantic crossing, when K gave him a book about the Buddha, which illumined some commonalites with his Indian folklore studies. Eventually he discerned the common patterns of all mythology, and the story of the hero who gets the call to adventure, refuses the call, and then is compelled to take the adventure and commit to it. He also mentions Carl Jung's influence on his work.

If you are like me, you would have to watch several times to get the most out of it.

Interesting to note the influence he had on George Lucas, who used HWTF as a template for Star Wars. George Lucas pays tribute to Campbell, and there is plenty of footage from Star Wars to ilustrate the steps of the Hero's Journey.

If you are interested in storytelling, mythology or writing, I highly recommend this dvd for your consideration. I know I will be making some notes for my own records.

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Joseph Campbell is one of the most fascinating people I ever read about.
To share his vision of the real meaning of our existance is a privelege.
Don't miss it.

A dated but really sweet presentation by Joseph Campbell about the Hero's Journey myth in which he explains the departure, initiation, and return home of the Hero!

The Hero's Journey is the journey of one of our greatest mythologist's own life journey - that of Joseph Campbell. It shares his life and philosophies in some wonderful dialogues. Beautifully presented, it is a wonderful addition to any Campbell enthusiasts library, though perhaps not for a Campbell novice.