Chances are, Joseph Campbell has affected your life. That's a pretty bold statement to make, especially about a scholar who gave lectures about mythology. It's true, though; Joseph Campbell has, indirectly, affected your life. Campbell inspired George Lucas to create a little film called Star Wars, which, if you were a kid from the 1970s onward, probably some effect on your life.
Star Wars is perhaps so popular and so universally loved because it's really a timeless story, created using many of the elements that Joseph Campbell spent his life discussing. In his magnum opus, The Power of Myth, Campbell discusses those very elements and how they've affected the world. In October 25th's release of Mythos III, Campbell still speaks on ancient elements of storytelling, though in much more specific contexts.
Mythos III comprises of five lectures, given late in Campbell's life, regarding various Western myths and stories. The first lecture concerns the Arthurian romances, focusing on Tristan and Iseult. The second, titled "The Path of the Heart," focuses on Parzival and the Grail Quest. Romantic philosophers are the subject of "Beyond Space and Time," while The Magic Mountain is the focus of the fourth episode, "Between Pairs of Opposites." Finally, in "Into the Well of Myth," Campbell examines modern myth, including the Joseph novels.
Each episode features a simple video of Campbell giving his lecture, sometimes intercut with images of the stories he is describing. Introducing each new segment of the lecture is Academy Award-winning actress Susan Sarandon, whose role in the set is entirely unnecessary and a little grating. The cut from Campbell's soft, deep voice to the higher pitched, louder voice of Sarandon is disgruntling, to say the least.
Sarandon's voice is louder, though, because she's recorded on much higher quality video than Campbell is. In fact, the videos of Campbell's lectures are pretty low fidelity. They were probably mastered from a VHS, and it shows. Thankfully, though, this set isn't about seeing Campbell so much as it is hearing him; Mythos III could be released as a podcast and it'd still be just as great.
If you're interested in learning the roots of storytelling and the history of mythology, Joseph Campbell: Mythos III is the set for you. Though I would of course recommend watching The Power of Myth first to get the best of Campbell, Mythos III is a nice addition to any Campbell-ites DVD collection.
