Lolita and Marlene on our wish list

RODRIGUEZ AND DAUDEN. Ripe for comebacks.

After the successful comebacks staged by dramatic divas, Nora Aunor and Hilda Koronel, local film buffs are hoping that other iconic actresses will soon be gracing the silver screen again. At the top of our wish list are the comebacks of Lolita Rodriguez and Marlene Dauden.

We hear that initial attempts to interest Lolita in acting again have been unproductive to date—but, we trust that, if an unusually exceptional script is presented to her, she’ll find it too good to pass up. After all, she came out of retirement in the States years ago to star in the British Broadcasting Corp. TV film, “Lucia.” It could happen again.

Film buffs cherish indelible memories of Lolita’s screen portrayals due to her compellingly spare and focused performance style—no melodramatic and self-serving histrionics, please! Since lush and turgid melodrama is so popular these days, younger actors should be reminded that there is a better way to come up with a powerful characterization, and that Lolita Rodriguez was one of its most acclaimed exponents.

Marlene Dauden is another case entirely. Before her departure from the Philippine entertainment scene, at much too young an age, she was famous for her orchidaceous beauty and passionately dramatic performances.

Her looks were reminiscent of Sophia Loren and other Italian screen beauties, and her acting ability was nothing to sneeze at, either. In fact, she had her own weekly dramatic anthology program, “Panagimpan,” directed by Mitos Villareal, and we recall guest-starring in it a couple of times (ahem). Thus, we were able to get to know Marlene better, and found her an exceptional person and actress. So, we were saddened by her decision to start a new life with her family in the States.

After Hilda’s successful comeback this year, however, we hope that Marlene can also be convinced to act in a Filipino production again, with similarly memorable  results!