Heart of an Empire ( Heart of an Empire: The Life and Times of the Fighting 501st )

Heart of an Empire (DVD) (*)

$21.99

Original Title: Heart of an Empire: The Life and Times of the Fighting 501st
Language Selections:
English ( Dolby Digital Stereo )

Product Origin/Format:
Australia ( PAL/Region 0 )

Running Time:
214 min

Aspect Ratio:
Fullscreen

Special Features:
Behind the scenes
Cast/Crew Interview(s)
Commentary
Interactive Menu
Scene Access

Movie filmed in 2007 and produced in:
United States ( USA, Canada )

Directed By:
Jay Thompson

Written By:
Jay Thompson

Actors:
Scott Allen ..... Himself
Dave Anderson ..... Himself
Keith Arbeeny ..... Himself
Ashley Balch ..... Himself
Hubert Bardèche ..... Himself
Chris Bartlett ..... Himself
Christian Bontigao ..... Himself
Jeremy Bulloch ..... Himself
Ben Burtt ..... Himself
Paula Cain ..... Himself
Mark Chu-Lin ..... Himself
Leon Clarance ..... Himself
Lauri Comly ..... Herself
Erika Crosswhite ..... Herself
Chris Del Spina ..... Himself

Synopsis:

In 1997, Albin Johnson of South Carolina founded a small club for fans of the Star Wars Trilogy who owned authentic costumes of the film's Imperial forces. Consisting of icons like Stormtroopers and Darth Vader, he called it the Fighting 501st Legion. Within only 5 years, the club increased to 2000 members and added another 2500 to its roster by 2006. Albin has led the group to become not only an icon in the Sci-Fi scene and among Star Wars fans throughout the world, but also a high profile media sensation. Through it all, the entire group managed to focus much of its attention and energy toward charity, all this while the founder endured weathering enormous personal hardships and tragedies. 'Heart of an Empire' follows Albin and many of the members of the 501st as they participate in events like the Walk of Life, visit children's hospitals, and run the New York City Marathon in full regalia to raise money for charity. Fully immersing themselves in their hobby, the documentary attempts to explore the reasons why these adults choose to dress up in costumes of science-fiction characters. What do they get out of it? How does the general public perceive them? What is the social impact? We hear from the club's members, representatives of Lucasfilm Ltd., actors of the original trilogy, and a Professor of Psychology who try to shed light on the phenomenon. Finally, we bare witness to an incredibly ironic twist of fate that will reveal what really lies at the Heart of an Empire.

A very visible, but misunderstood group dressed as Star Wars Stormtroopers do charity work worldwide. The story comes full circle when the amputee founder's own daughter is diagnosed with cancer and this surrogate family he created comes to his aid. We follow their public and private worlds in this documentary.

This product was added to our catalog on Tuesday 13 December, 2011.

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