Bright Lights, a documentary about the lives of Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher, will be shown much sooner than previously planned.
The tale of one of Hollywood’s most iconic mother and daughter duos was due to air in Spring but HBO have now said it will be brought forward to Saturday night on 7 January due to their untimely deaths.
Reynolds, died at the age of 84 following a suspected stroke on Wednesday. Her last words were: “I miss her so much, I want to be with Carrie”. Her daughter Fisher suffered a heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles on 23 December and died last Tuesday at the age of 60.
While their acting careers were highly different – Reynolds rose to fame for starring in Singin' in the Rain in 1952 and Fisher found fame for playing Princess Leia in the Star Wars films – Hollywood was part and parcel of their lives.
The pair had an at times complex relationship but one which was bound by love. They lived in the same Beverley Hills compound.
Sheila Nevins, the president for documentary and family programming at HBO, told the New York Times that after Fisher’s unexpected death, it felt appropriate to broadcast the film on Mother’s Day “for Debbie.”
However, after Reynolds’ death, this changed and it felt better to move it forward.
“Earlier, it would have been gawking,” Nevins told the publication. “But now it’s a testament of love.”
HBO describe the film as a tale of a “family’s complicated love”.
“This documentary is an intimate portrait of Hollywood royalty in all its eccentricity,” a passage on their website reads. “The 83-year-old grand dame still has a Las Vegas act, but performing is taking its toll. Carrie’s response is both hilarious and heart-rending.”
The film which was produced by Fisher Stevens and Alexis Bloom features vintage family films. Relatives of Reynolds and Fisher are hoping to organise a joint memorial service for the mother and daughter duo.
