Joseph Campbell on Power of Myth With Bill Moyers on DVD

Joseph Campbell on Power of Myth With Bill Moyers will be released on DVD on September 21st.  This is an expanded set of a long out-of-print series.  It is especially of interest to those interested in mythology.

From the press release:

Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth with Bill Moyers: The seminal PBS series on world mythology! "Dazzling and still potently relevant" - San Francisco Chronicle. "Fascinating" - The New York Times. "Compelling" - The Wall Street Journal. "Stirring and elevating" - Los Angeles Times.

These stimulating conversations between inspirational scholar Joseph Campbell and veteran journalist Bill Moyers created a national sensation when they first aired on public television. In lively, expansive dialogues, the two men discuss how myths hold the key to understanding human experience. They may vary superficially from culture to culture, but at their deepest level they all reveal the path to self-fulfillment, social integration, and ultimately, transcendence.

Joseph Campbell taught for nearly 40 years at Sarah Lawrence College; he authored and edited scores of books and inspired generations of scholars and artists. Journalist Bill Moyers distinguished himself at Newsday, NBC, CBS, and PBS; his many honors include lifetime achievement Emmy and Peabody awards. Join Campbell and Moyers as they touch on topics as diverse as world religions, marriage, the virgin birth, and pop culture. Filmed at George Lucas's Skywalker Ranch and New York's American Museum of Natural History, this series fires the imagination and the intellect. NOTE: Contains nudity and violent images

The set has the original series with these episodes:

Episode 1: The Hero's Adventure
Whether it's Buddha, Moses, Jesus, or the Knights of the Round Table, the heroes in every mythic tradition undertake the same archetypal journey from departure through fulfillment and return.


Episode 2: The Message of the Myth
At their deepest level, myths teach us how to live-with ourselves, with others, and with the mystery at the heart of life.


Episode 3: The First Storytellers
All of our culture's rituals have their roots in the myths of ancient hunters, who told stories and performed rituals to bring their lives into harmony with nature.


Episode 4: Sacrifice and Bliss
Like a seed that dies only to be reborn, the archetypal hero must undergo the death of the ego to achieve new life and the revelation of bliss.


Episode 5: Love and the Goddess
From kama to agape to courtly romance, Campbell explores the mythology of love and the role of the female as the giver of life and form.


Episode 6: Masks of Eternity
All cultures create "masks"-names and images for God-to serve as metaphors for inexpressible transcendence, the being beyond all being and the idea beyond all thought.

There is also a lot of bonus material, some of it supposedly released for the first time--I haven't confirmed that and don't have a complete list. Although this isn't the first time this has been released on DVD, it has been out of print for a while and this new version appears to be bigger and better than the previous release.

Whether or not you agree with everything Joseph Campbell wrote or said, it is important to know and understand his work since it is referenced so often.