postcards from the edge by carrie fisher

By fictionalising her own life, Fisher seized control of her story and sharply interrogated the male gaze that had propelled, but also constrained, her career. It’s loosely autobiographical, as Fisher also spent time in rehab and was the daughter of Singin’ in the Rain star Debbie Reynolds. The film follows her struggle to relaunch her career while navigating her tumultuous relationship with her mother, Doris Mann (Shirley MacLaine), a former star of the studio era. Hollywood actress Suzanne Vale (Meryl Streep) is checked into a rehabilitation centre after an accidental overdose of painkillers. She explored the blurring of boundaries between her real and fictional identities in Postcards from the Edge, the 1990 film directed by Mike Nichols, which Fisher adapted from her own novel. “ love Leia and I’m her custodian and I’m as close as you’re gonna get,” she sighed in the documentary Bright Lights. But Star Wars can’t be sidelined, and Fisher was unabashedly open about her inability to escape it.

Images of Leia could be seen on protest signs at 2017 Women’s Marches all over the world.įisher had roles in The Blues Brothers, When Harry Met Sally and Catastrophe, and was a prolific author. Uproariously outspoken on misogyny in Hollywood and the stigmatisation of mental health issues, Fisher held her trademark middle finger up to those determined to dismiss her.

Her return to the public eye via the Star Wars sequel trilogy coinciding with the emergence of fourth-wave feminism meant she was heralded as a feminist icon for a new generation. “Her portrayal of the sardonic and self-rescuing princess redefined the archetype,” claims the book Star Wars: Women of the Galaxy. Across countless obituaries the dominant image of Fisher was of her as Princess Leia. Like her life, Fisher’s death was bound up in her fictional image. It seemed impossible that such a wickedly funny and resilient personality could be extinguished. In Postcards From The Edge, the refocusing of the male gaze solidifies Fisher’s magnanimous, irrepressible legacy. To celebrate Star Wars Day, Laura Venning reflects on the legacy of Carrie Fisher beyond Princess Leia.

Postcards from the edge by carrie fisher