Sarsi Emmanuelle: No to movie comeback

by Boy Villasanta

Once an actress always an actress.

This maxim might not be true anymore for Sarsi Emmanuelle.

In the special rescreening of Regal Entertainment’s 1984-Peque Gallaga-directed masterpiece “Virgin Forest” at the Dengcar Theater of the Movie Workers Welfare Foundation (Mowelfund) in New Manila to celebrate the 127th Philippine Independence Day, Sarsi quickly negated the prospect of doing movies anymore.

“Ang tanong talaga (Oh, the question, indeed),” Emmanuelle chuckled during the talkback portion after the screening.

I asked Sarsi, Jennifer Obregon Mitchell in real life, the question point blank because there are many people who miss her onscreen.

“Ayaw ko na talaga. Wala na akong energy (I really don’t want anymore. I don’t have the energy anymore),” she replied.

“Virgin Forest” is about the struggles of three people, namely Chayong (played by Sarsi), Alipio (essayed by Abel Jurado) and Kastila/Alfonsito (portrayed by the late Miguel Rodriguez) against the inhuman treatment to them by American soldiers who were out to capture Emilio Aguinaldo after the Treaty of Paris, a ragtag of Filipino revolutionaries (real, fake and mercenaries) and a manipulative operative for selling states to imperial powers at the turn of the century.

The special reshowing of “Virgin Forest” was initiated by SOFIA (Society of Filipino Archivists for Film) led by Rose Roque.

Aside from Sarsi, director Lore Reyes, Production Manager in the making of “Virgin Forest,” Wanggo Gallaga, artist son of Peque and Mowelfund President Rez Cortez, among others, attended the event