The entry begins:
As I have worked on the story of Laura Fair over the course of several years, I am continually asked if this tale is fiction, although of course the book is completely non-fiction. I have also been queried – sometimes in jest, sometimes seriously – about when the movie will appear. Although the majority of action occurs in the 1870s, the story’s themes of murder, reputation, and sexuality certainly resonate today. As such, it is not hard to envision today’s actors playing the roles.Learn more about The Trials of Laura Fair at the University of North Carolina Press website.
The role of Laura Fair needs to be handled by someone who can be as mercurial as she. Tall, fair-haired, and beautiful, Fair could be assertive and bold one minute, seductive and sexual next. At times she was irrational and uncontrollable, while at other moments, she was submissive and passive. In everything she did, she drew public attention and comment. While much of the story takes place while Laura is in her thirties, the actress also needs to able to age from a young woman to advanced age. For the title role in the movie I envision the part being played by Charlize Theron or Kate...[read on]
Carole Haber is professor of history and dean of the School of Liberal Arts at Tulane University.
My Book, The Movie: The Trials of Laura Fair.
--Marshal Zeringue
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