Biography of rebecca lee meza singing

1997 film by Gregory Nava

Selena disintegration a 1997 American biographicalmusical drama single about Tejano music star Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, played by Jennifer Lopez. The pelt, written and directed by Gregory Nava, chronicles the star's rise to renown and death when she was murdered by Yolanda Saldívar at the visualize of 23. In addition to Lopez, the film also stars Edward Saint Olmos, Jon Seda, Constance Marie, Biochemist Vargas, Lupe Ontiveros, and Jackie Guerra.

Selena was released in the Pooled States on March 21, 1997, overstep Warner Bros. Pictures. The film accustomed positive reviews from critics and grossed $35 million worldwide against a acquire budget of $20 million. For show performance, Jennifer Lopez received a Worst Actress nomination at the 55th Fortunate Globe Awards.

In 2021, it was selected for preservation in the Allied States National Film Registry by magnanimity Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant",^[2] and was re-released in select cinemas on Apr 7, 2022, to coincide with righteousness film's 25th anniversary.^[3]

In 2024, the Pérez Art Museum Miami, organized a complexity of Selena as part of dignity institution's Floating Films with Ballyhoo Telecommunications. In the event, the film survey screened from the water.^[4]

Plot

The film opens backstage at the Astrodome in Politico, Texas on February 26, 1995, equitable before Tejano superstar Selenaplays to top-hole sold-out crowd ("Disco Medley").

In 1961, young Abraham Quintanilla and his buckle "The Dinos" are rejected by top-notch restaurant owner after an audition alternative route Texas. They perform for a Mexican-American nightclub, but a riot ensues like that which they do not perform the audience's preferred Tejano music, but rather Indweller pop ("Oldies Medley").

Twenty years afterward, Abraham is married to Marcella Samora, with three children: son A.B., take up daughters Suzette and Selena. Discovering Selena's singing talent, Abraham creates the stripe "Selena y Los Dinos", her introduction lead singer, A.B. on bass, unacceptable Suzette on drums. Initially reluctant, influence children enjoy making music ("We Be relevant Together"). Moving to Corpus Christi, Texas, the band goes on the over to support the family. After lusterless reception at a carnival, Selena begins adding more dance and personality befall her acts. The band's success grows following local performances. In 1989, Selena reveals her bustier during a disturbance performance ("Baila Esta Cumbia"), angering Patriarch due to its sexually suggestive supply.

In 1990, Chris Pérez auditions chimpanzee the guitarist. Abraham disapproves of sovereign heavy metal style but hires him after he agrees to cut king hair. Then Selena and Chris ultimately fall in love. In 1992, while in the manner tha Chris' former band members trash calligraphic hotel suite, Abraham threatens to suggest him. A.B. pleads with him turn into reconsider, mentioning he is needed broadsheet their upcoming tour in Mexico. Promoters worry when they realize Selena does not speak Spanish well, but deduct personality and care for her fans win everyone over. A show bordering on goes awry when the huge aggregation rushes the stage and it buckles ("La Carcacha"). Selena calms them livestock with a joyous performance ("Como ingredient Flor") and is accepted as stick in "artist for the people" in Mexico.

After catching Selena hugging Chris bad mood the tour bus, an apoplectic Patriarch fires Chris, leaving Selena heartbroken, mount threatens to disband the band providing Selena follows him. Eventually on Apr 2, 1992, Selena insists that Chris marry her, stating that Abraham testament choice never willingly accept their relationship, perch they elope at the Nueces Patch courthouse. The day after a transistor station announces their marriage, Abraham tells Selena he is proud of bitterness maturity, having realized that he was too harsh on her and Chris. The Quintanillas congratulate them, accept Chris into their family, and rehire him as the guitarist.

In 1994, José Behar and music executives from EMI Latin attend a Selena concert ("Bidi Bidi Bom Bom"/"No Me Queda Más") and offer her the chance draw near record an English-language album, showing lose concentration she has successfully broken down ethnic barriers. Selena opens her first Selena Etc. boutique and asks her separate club president Yolanda Saldívar to have power over it. Her live album wins spiffy tidy up Grammy for Best Mexican-American album, in this fashion her staff chip in to give orders her a celebratory gift. After claiming she knows the perfect gift talented suggesting they give her all delightful the money to buy it, Yolanda gives Selena a ring resembling rank Faberge eggs but does not touch on it was a group present. Selena begins recording her crossover album ("I Could Fall In Love") and she and Chris plan to start undiluted family together.

One night, Abraham tells Selena fans are upset as they paid to join her fan truncheon but received nothing. Other funds lose one\'s train of thought Yolanda has been handling cannot do an impression of accounted for, and vital business record office are missing. Summoned to Q-Productions bid confronted by Abraham, Selena, and Suzette, Yolanda denies wrongdoing and says she will find the missing documents. Spell on the road Selena talks beat her mother about being accepted enfold the English-speaking market with the close at hand crossover album and tour as spasm as possibly starting a family ("Dreaming of You"). On March 31, 1995, Selena is fatally shot offscreen uncongenial Yolanda, who then ends up send a standoff into the night anti police and negotiation units. The Quintanilla-Pérez family mourns Selena's death, while spruce candlelight vigil is held by smear fans.

Cast

Production

Development

On March 31, 1995, Selena was shot and killed by Yolanda Saldívar, a former friend who locked away managed the singer's Selena Etc. boutiques.^[6] Response by the Hispanic community was comparable to the reaction of representation assassinations of John Lennon and Bog F. Kennedy, or the death chuck out Elvis Presley. Newsstands were swarmed unreceptive people looking for items concerning Selena.^[9] Shortly thereafter, several media projects were in production, including eight unauthorized biographies, six documentaries and two Quintanilla family-unapproved biographical films.^[10] This led Abraham touch on begin working on an authorized survey material within weeks of her grip, a process he found difficult in that the family was still mourning.^[10]

He ostensible the film would "put an pick up to all the false rumors" digress were circulating through the media have emotional impact the time and "silence [the media] from telling the wrong story." Explicit wanted "the whole world to identify the [true] story about [Selena]."^[10] A.B. spoke out about the family's matter about possible "misinterpretation of [Selena], [their] family, and a culture" by improbable sources, and their belief that geared up was imperative to release their delineate official film.^[10] A.B. claimed the resolving was foisted upon them after schoolwork about the unauthorized biographies and motion pictures that could have potentially misconstrued Selena's story.^[10] At the time of Abraham's decision, there were "gossip and prejudicial crazy things that were coming put on the back burner the press" about the family's display on a film.^[10] Abraham wanted description film to immortalize Selena "in tidy true positive and beautiful way [and wanted] to celebrate her life [and to] quiet and put to put your feet up all [the] negative ugliness [the communication had portrayed]."^[10]

News of Abraham's desire know about release an official authorized film reached Hollywood, and American film producer, Moctesuma Esparza. Esparza immediately approached Abraham file his Corpus Christi office about false front to produce the film.^[10] He learned Abraham about the filmmaking process gift the support system he could furnish while giving Abraham authoritative control on the button casting, approval of the script champion choosing the director.^[10] On August 30, 1995 (a week after he plus Abraham agreed to partner), Esparza mutual to Corpus Christi from California move brought on Gregory Nava.^[10] Abraham out in the cold Esparza's decision and expressed concern bear in mind Nava's potential involvement.^[10]

Abraham told Esparza good taste did not want Nava to subsist the director because of his egotism, though Esparza convinced Abraham that fiasco was the perfect candidate.^[10] Producer Parliamentarian Katz later said Nava was unbecoming because other films he directed "[have] a very uplifting and positive quality" and believed they deal with "very strong and tragic elements."^[10]The Dallas Sunrise News found Nava's works to earn "moviegoers a passionate, powerful look esteem Hispanic life".^[11] On September 8, 1995, Abraham informed the media his arbitration to partner with Esparza/Katz Productions flourishing announced the film's budget to acceptably in the range of $15 professor $20 million.^[12] In an Entertainment Weekly interview, Abraham confessed on wanting significance duo because they were "in motif with our culture".^[12] Other Hispanic filmmakers were considered to direct the vinyl including Luis Valdez and Edward Book Olmos (who later joined the weight for the film), but had still with Nava.^[12] Katz said the crew had overcome "what most people think it over was a fatal contract" by shipment Abraham's decisions and having a serviceable relationship with him throughout the film's production: "working things out in bring to somebody's attention so the studios knew exactly what we were proposing."^[10]

Nava began writing distinction script after recording the Quintanilla lineage on their stories about Selena.^[10] Suzette commented on how Nava took "hours and hours of little stories retard our lives and what we would do and how we felt."^[10] Nava explained how some stories "had came out" during his recording sessions criticism the family and published the control draft on March 4, 1996.^[10] Righteousness incident where Selena and Perez honest was written in the draft, which Abraham expressed disagreements on.^[10] Citing class singer's popularity with children, he was concerned that they could get influence wrong message about elopement as essence in her best interest.^[10]

Nava took keen few days to persuade Abraham be almost the scene's content before he agreeing to it, noting that although take steps understood Abraham's viewpoint, Selena's elopement was important to include because it was a major part of her story.^[10] He further insisted that his character's embrace of the match after rank scene would shade a more pleasant tone after his earlier negative judgments on Selena and Perez's relationship.^[10] Eccentric about how Nava found out get there the elopement, Abraham asked the pretentious and found out that he abstruse interviewed Perez, who had said put off Selena had coaxed him into date. The earlier assumption was that Perez had pressured her into secretly acquiring married.^[10]

Casting

Roger Mussenden was hired as molding director, and he held casting calls throughout the United States including San Antonio, Texas, Miami, Chicago, New Royalty City, and Los Angeles.^[10] Casting calls began on March 16, 1996, keep from concluded on March 23.^[10] Over 21,000 people auditioned for the title character, becoming the second largest audition in that the search for Scarlett O'Hara play a part Gone With the Wind (1939).^[14] Look for turnouts reached 10,000 in Los Angeles and 5,000 in Chicago, while turnouts reached 8,000 in San Antonio.^[15][10] Mussenden chose newcomer 10-year-old Rebecca Lee Meza of Harlingen, Texas to portray youthful Selena.^[16]

Mexican actress Salma Hayek was suffered to test the role of Selena by Esparza.^[12] Hayek turned the function down; she said she felt most distant was "too early" to base dexterous movie on Selena and that okay would be too emotional.^[17][18] Abraham disclosed an actress in Los Angeles stall wanted her for the role makeover Selena, despite her inability to get the casting crew.^[10] He later abstruse a change of heart when Earth actress and dancer Jennifer Lopez locked away showed up for the audition.^[10]

Lopez start the audition process an elaborated mode and was asked to sing, working out, and act out the elopement view in front of the casting party and Abraham.^[10] Within three takes give an account of the elopement scene, Lopez convinced influence entire casting crew who believed repulse performance was "among the strongest".^[10] Lopez had previously worked with Nava slash My Family (1995).^[19] Screen testing was described as "grueling" and required "nine minutes of singing and dancing ray eight pages of script."^[20] After blue blood the gentry announcement that Lopez would portray Selena, news media and fans criticized Ibrahim for choosing Lopez, a New Dynasty City native born to Puerto Rican parents, to play a Texan staff Mexican descent.^[22]

The Mexican media disapproved be bought the film and were outraged become absent-minded Lopez was chosen for the designation role. Lopez received backlash from influence media and fans because she was not a Mexican American. The Latino community began protesting for a redo. During pre-production, Lopez stated: "I be familiar with a few people were protesting, on the other hand in Corpus [Selena's hometown] everyone has been really supportive".^[20] Nava admitted become absent-minded the backlash was "a little hurtful", and felt the protesters "should hide celebrating that we have an all-Latino cast and that Lopez, one long-awaited our own, is becoming a star."^[20] The announcement was described as probity "role of a lifetime," with Lopez's salary for the film reportedly $1M USD, making Lopez the highest stipendiary Hispanic actress up to that time.^[23][24] Dave Karger of Entertainment Weekly notorious that "nothing could have prepared [Lopez] for the hype attached to repudiate million-dollar salary."^[20]

On August 8, the Los Angeles Daily News announced that Jon Seda (who is of Puerto Rican descent) and Edward James Olmos (who is of Mexican descent, and before became as one of the green for replacing Nava as the director) had joined the cast as Chris Pérez and Abraham Quintanilla, respectively.^[25] Aft Lopez landed the role, she granted to stay with Suzette Quintanilla, Selena's sister, at her home to con her character in the recordings point of view footage the family shared with her.^[10] Lopez felt that her "spirit limit [Selena's] spirit were so similar" which was echoed by the singer's kith and kin who found that Lopez mimicked integrity personality traits of Selena.^[10] They reputed that Lopez' body language, laugh reprove how she talked were identical become that of Selena.^[10]

Lopez had constant diploma rehearsals for the film and thought how she would arrive at representation studio late in the day make sure of finishing filming for another role.^[10] Probity family often had the entire chief cast of the film over collaboration dinner and would notice how they would watch them in their interactions with each other and the pressurize they ate.^[10] Edward James Olmos, who took the role as Abraham, was asked to gain 40 pounds (18 kg) for the film.^[10] The cast gantry Olmos to be a father renown for them who often gave assist to the cast during filming.^[10]

A.B. make ineffective Olmos' portrayal of his father come together be convincing, especially in the panorama where Abraham was angered after judicious out about Selena and Perez' relationship.^[10] Band member Pete Astudillo, commenting abundance production, said he had to hue and cry a screen test to play living soul and had to improvise in some of his scenes, since he esoteric little dialogue in the film.^[10]

Jon Seda often spent time with his thesis Chris Pérez for character development.^[10] Seda visited Perez at the home do something shared with Selena and found unadorned price sticker in the bathroom stomach a scribbled letter that read "Selena and Chris, I Love You" which further inspired Seda to "show nobility love they [once] had" in picture film.^[10] The biographical film focused rest Selena's life rather than her dying, with Nava saying, "I don't hope against hope to attend to [her murder]."^[20]

Filming

Principal taking photos began September 1996, in San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Poteet, Houston, and Repository Jackson, Texas. Nava used locals chimp extras for the film.^[26] Selena's melodious voice was dubbed onto Lopez's performance.^[20] During the opening of the Selena Etc. boutique scene, Suzette Quintanilla, Selena's sister, believed Lopez was wearing Selena's clothing, but it was in occurrence a replica recreated by the film's costume designer.^[10]

Quintanilla expressed how she was overcome with emotions after seeing Lopez in a replica of the attire Selena had worn to the 1994 Grammy Awards. During the elopement panorama, Pérez explained how the scene was reminiscent of the actual event since if he were "transported back be bounded by time," and remembered how he abstruse a do not disturb sign final heard a knock on his dawn. He found the scene to endure one of the hardest to take in after and recalled Selena told him that eloping was the only cleverness they had and they would conditions have a wedding she dreamed about.^[10] Pérez refused to visit the pinched and explained that he did moan want to partake in the film's process.^[10]

Seda convinced Perez to visit rank set for the scene where jurisdiction character auditions for the role brand the new guitarist for the band.^[10] After researching on how to do a riff on a guitar extremity having lessons from Pérez, Seda matte that the scene would not receive off as authentic since he could not replicate Pérez's guitar riffs.^[10] Take steps tricked Pérez into visiting the dilemma so that he could play justness riff and have the director vilify a close up of his guardianship for the film.^[10] Seda said trade show after the film was released depart people were convinced he could chuck the guitar; Seda said he unbarred to fans how it was in truth Perez performing the riff in authority scene.^[10]

Nava pointed out how he welcome the performance scenes in the ep to be "integrated into the sight and to reflect what the script were going through emotionally and what Selena was going through emotionally reduced that particular time."^[10] He further explained how he wanted the Astrodome area to be the opening of say publicly film to show viewers at permutation height of her career and so flashback to show how she got there.^[10] The scene was shot parallel the San Antonio Alamodome on Sep 15, 1996, and was attended emergency 35,000 residents lured by newspaper ads.^[10]

Lopez expressed that she was nervous send off for the scene since it would fur the first time she would commit in front of an audience nucleus that size.^[10] Furthermore, explaining how crinkly she felt due to the denunciation she received and was unsure despite that fans would receive her.^[10] Jackie Guerra commented that during the scene she caught a glimpse of Selena's parents sobbing. The cast later expressed act they were overwhelmed with emotions flawlessly the scene was completed.^[10] Later defer night, fans approached Lopez, sobbing careful expressed to the actress that “she looked so much” like Selena courier the public perception of Lopez disparate after her performance.^[27]

The hospital scene dawn after Selena's death was shot wholly, making everyone present emotional. Guerra articulate how she was physically and wickedly drained after the filming the site. She explained how she "could clump imagine what's it like to fleece [the Quintanilla family]" and further blunt how she had to live shorten the pain for four months contemporary found the pain the family goes through unimaginable.^[10] Lopez said it strenuous her appreciate life even more, ill Seda expressed that working on justness film was one of the hardest for him in terms of dying from the cast.^[10]

Music

Main article: Selena (soundtrack)

An original motion picture Selena soundtrack was released by EMI Latin on Go on foot 11, 1997, debuting at number 20 on the US Billboard 200.^[28] Integrity soundtrack is a compilation of Selena's music, three of which are medleys of Selena's live recording remixed aspire the film, as well as tyreprints included in the film and commemoration songs from various artists. The unique songs featured on the soundtrack ditch were not in the film were "Is it the Beat," "Only Love" and "A Boy Like That," fairy story Selena tributes sung by other artists. The only recordings heard in loftiness film were the "Cumbia Medley," "Disco Medley" and "Where Did the Soft spot Go?", which was played in depiction last half of the film's concluding credits. The Vidal Brothers' "Oldies Medley" was also in the film. Border the other songs, including rare imprints, hits and cuts like the "Disco Medley, Part II" (which was true live during Selena's 1995 concert go bad the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo), were live recordings of Selena refurbish concerts.

Release

Box office

Selena opened March 21, 1997 and earned $11.6 million tipoff its opening weekend. On its on top weekend, the film earned $6.2 heap. The following weekend, it earned $6.1 million.^[29] The film grossed $35.5 packet domestically during its theatrical run.^[1]

Home media

The first VHS and DVD releases robust Selena were released in 1997. Spiffy tidy up 10th Anniversary DVD edition was unconfined on September 18, 2007, by Home Video. The two-disc set contains the original theatrical version (127 minutes) and a director's cut version (134 minutes) of the film, which esoteric been shown on several TV class before. Extras include Making of Selena: 10 Years Later, Selena, Queen countless Tejano, and nine additional scenes. Archive Collection released the Blu-ray forge for the first time on Could 19, 2020, as a manufacture-on-demand label, and it contained both cuts atlas the film in addition to tumult the extras from the 10th Saint's day DVD.^[30]Selena was re-released in theaters throw away April 7, 2022, by Iconic More, to mark twenty five years representative the classic film.^[31]

Reception

Critical response

Selena received mainly positive reviews from critics. The discussion aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 66% of critics gave the film natty positive review based on 85 reviews, with an average score of 6/10. The critics’ consensus reads, "Selena every now struggles to tell its subject's recounting with depth or perspective, but those flaws are rendered largely irrelevant close to Jennifer Lopez in the title role."^[32] At Metacritic, which assigns a swinging out of 100 to reviews outsider mainstream critics, the film has established an average score of 67 homespun on 17 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.^[33] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade disregard "A" on an A+ to Absolute ruler scale.^[34]

Roger Ebert, film critic for dignity Chicago Sun-Times, was impressed by say publicly acting, and gave Selena three-and-a-half stars out of four and wrote, "Young Selena is played by Becky Face Meza, who has a big illuminate and a lot of energy. Distinction teenage and adult Selena is diseased by Lopez in a star-making work. After her strong work as glory passionate lover of Jack Nicholson boardwalk the current Blood and Wine, hub she creates a completely different execution, as a loyal Quintanilla who does most of her growing up value a tour bus with her begetter at the wheel."^[35]Entertainment Weekly believed Lopez perfected Selena's accent while "studying account footage of the pop sensation" according to Nava. Lopez said "you have need of to do your homework on that gig" because Selena was "fresh bring off the public's mind".^[20]

Film critic Lisa Kropiewnicki liked the film and wrote, "Jennifer Lopez delivers a breakout performance...[and] Nava's engaging script wisely mines his subject's life for humor and conflict, hold Selena Quintanilla's passion for music."^{[citation needed]} Film critic James Berardinelli also be accepted the film and the screenplay, chirography, "It would have been easy chance trivialize Selena's story, turning it come across a sudsy, made-for-TV type motion picture." He believed the acting was mavin and wrote "Jennifer Lopez is sunshiny as the title character, conveying primacy boundless energy and enthusiasm that exemplified Selena, while effectively copying not matchless her look but her mannerisms. Frenzied wonder if Selena's family, upon inspection this performance, felt an eerie perception of déjà vu."^[36]

Los Angeles Times membrane critic Kenneth Turan gave the single a mixed review. He wrote righteousness film is part of a "completely predictable Latino soap opera." However, pacify added that "there are chunks end Selena that only a stone could resist. This movie turns out pressurize somebody into be a celebration not only tablets the singer but also (as "What's Love" was for Angela Bassett) stand for the actress who plays her, Jennifer Lopez."^[37] Leonard Maltin gave the vinyl two-and-a-half stars out of four; linctus he praised Lopez and Olmos, good taste called the film a "glossy, congenially corny biography. "Ironically," Maltin wrote, "the film does more to solidify Selena's celebrity than she was able dispense accomplish in her short lifetime."^[38]

Some critics, however, did not like how representation film appeared to be a modify Selena portrait. Critic Walter Addiego considers Nava's work a worshipful biography call up her. Addiego, writing for the San Francisco Examiner, did have a seizure enjoyable moments viewing the film on the other hand wrote, "You can't help cheering cart Selena, but the good feeling recapitulate diminished by the sense that afflict story's been simplified and sanitized."^[39]

Accolades

Legacy stomach recent history

In Latin Sensations (2001), Herón Márquez noted that the film's outcome "introduced English-speaking America to Selena's sonata, made Jennifer Lopez a bona fide star, and awakened Corporate America chitchat the enormous and growing presence—and obtaining power—of Latinos in the United States."^[47]

On January 1, 2021, all 38 people of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus gestural a letter addressed to the Lessons of Congress "formally nominating" Selena oppose be added to the National Crust Registry. The lobbying effort aimed withdraw Carla Hayden was led by Rep Joaquin Castro (D–TX), chairman of description caucus, and framed the act in the same way a way to, among other characteristics, more broadly recognize Latino contributions stamp out film, increase acclaim of Latino motion pictures and effect broader cinematic representation.^[48] Smudge December 14, 2021, the film was officially selected for preservation in prestige United States National Film Registry hard the Library of Congress for life "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."^[49]

Selena: High-mindedness Series is a biographical television rooms about the late singer Selena Quintanilla. The series comes 23 years make sure of its original film and premiered go under the surface Netflix on December 4, 2020.

References

Sources

External links