Selena

Theatrical Release Date: 1997 03 21 (USA)

UPC: 085391154167

Studio: Warner Home Video

MPAA Rating: PG   Contains:[Adult Situations, Suitable for Children]

Summary: Selena Quintanilla was a major figure in Tejano music, a Grammy-winning recording artist, a beloved star in the American Southwest and Mexico, and seemed poised to cross over into mainstream popularity on the U.S. pop charts when she was murdered on March 31, 1995 by the president of her fan club. Written and directed by Gregory Nava, this biopic concentrates on Selena's relationship with her family and her rise to fame, dealing only briefly with her tragic death. Abraham Quintanilla (Edward James Olmos) is a veteran musician who leads a family-based singing group, The Dinos. At a young age, he notices that his daughter Selena (played as a child by Becky Lee Meza) has a strong singing voice, and he works her into the act (her big number is a version of Over the Rainbow). However, as she grows older, Selena (played as an adult by Jennifer Lopez) wants to establish her own musical identity; while her heritage is Mexican-American, her primary language is English, and her favorite artists are American pop acts like Donna Summer. While Selena and Abraham sometimes argue about the musical direction of the group, he always respects and supports her talent, and her blend of Tejano roots music and danceable pop rhythms soon sparks a revolution in Latin music. Selena later earns the wrath of her father when she becomes romantically involved with Chris Perez (Jon Seda), a rebellious and long-haired guitarist hired to play with the group, but when they elope and Selena convinces Abraham that their love is sincere, Chris is welcomed into the family. After a long string of successes on the Latin charts and playing to a sellout crowd at the Houston Astrodome and a crowd of 100,000 at a stadium in Monterey, Mexico, Selena begins recording her first album in English, which is expected to make her a mainstream star on the level of Whitney Houston or Gloria Estefan. However, the fates decreed it was an album she would never complete. Selena was produced with the participation of the Quintanilla Family (Abraham was executive producer), and Selena's own recordings were used on the soundtrack. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Category: Drama

Awards: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical – null Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical – Hollywood Foreign Press Association

Features: Disc 1:
The Making of Selena: 10 Years Later
9 additional scenes

Disc 2:
Selena: Queen of Tejano featurette

Selena

Format: DVD

Release Date: 09/18/2007

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 261 Minutes

Sides: 2

Number of Discs: 2

Language(s) English

Subtitles: English,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Disc #1 -- Selena: Original Theatrical Version
1. Houston Concert [3:34]
2. I Will Survive, Last Dance... [3:39]
3. Blue Moon, We Belong Together [4:06]
4. We Belong Together [2:50]
5. A Band Is Born? [4:05]
6. Over the Rainbow [4:23]
7. Selena's Dream [1:02]
8. From Deep Inside [2:13]
9. Regresa a Mi [4:56]
10. La Manzana [2:15]
11. Baila Esta Cumbia [3:59]
12. Abraham's Little Girl [3:48]
13. Anything for Salinas [3:55]
14. Chris Perez [3:18]
15. Plain Talk and Pizza [2:49]
16. A #1 Hit: Como la Flor [3:12]
17. Feeling Different [2:49]
18. Mexican-American Is Hard! [1:03]
19. Hollywood: Dumb Behavior [2:09]
20. La Caracha, Como la Flor [3:03]
21. Loved Declared [9:15]
22. Love Forbidden [2:36]
23. What if They're Right? [4:09]
24. Selena Let's Go [2:01]
25. Newlywed Jitters [4:43]
26. Reconciliation [1:42]
27. Flying Bidi, Bidi, Bom Bom [3:24]
28. Dressing for the Grammys [5:38]
29. Triumphs Amor Prohibido [4:39]
30. Gift Ideas [2:37]
31. I Could Fall in Love [:59]
32. Ring Between Friends [3:44]
33. Anything's Possible [:52]
34. Problems With Yolanda [2:08]
35. Dreaming of You [2:51]
36. Farewell Dreaming of You [5:39]
37. Where Did the Feeling Go? [3:14]
1. Food Stamps [1:30]
1. Off to School [:31]
1. Getting Some Exposure [1:09]
1. Payment for Performance [:51]
1. Getting the Record Deal [1:46]
1. Bus Construction [:40]
1. Worried Parents [1:43]
1. Selena & Abie's Limo Ride [:37]
1. Selena Falls [3:04]
Disc #2 -- Selena: Extended Film Version
1. Houston Concert [3:34]
2. I Will Survive, Last Dance... [3:39]
3. Blue Moon, We Belong Together [4:06]
4. We Belong Together [2:50]
5. A Band Is Born? [4:05]
6. Over the Rainbow [4:23]
7. Selena's Dream [1:02]
8. From Deep Inside [2:13]
9. Regresa a Mi [4:56]
10. La Manzana [2:15]
11. Baila Esta Cumbia [3:59]
12. Abraham's Little Girl [3:48]
13. Anything for Salinas [3:55]
14. Chris Perez [3:18]
15. Plain Talk and Pizza [2:49]
16. A #1 Hit: Como la Flor [3:12]
17. Feeling Different [2:49]
18. Mexican-American Is Hard! [1:03]
19. Hollywood: Dumb Behavior [2:09]
20. La Caracha, Como la Flor [3:03]
21. Loved Declared [9:15]
22. Love Forbidden [2:36]
23. What if They're Right? [4:09]
24. Selena Let's Go [2:01]
25. Newlywed Jitters [4:43]
26. Reconciliation [1:42]
27. Flying Bidi, Bidi, Bom Bom [3:24]
28. Dressing for the Grammys [5:38]
29. Triumphs Amor Prohibido [4:39]
30. Gift Ideas [2:37]
31. I Could Fall in Love [:59]
32. Ring Between Friends [3:44]
33. Anything's Possible [:52]
34. Problems With Yolanda [2:08]
35. Dreaming of You [2:51]
36. Farewell Dreaming of You [5:39]
37. Where Did the Feeling Go? [3:14]

Lisa Kropiewnicki

Jennifer Lopez delivers a breakout performance in this biopic that re-teams her with Mi Familia (1995) writer/director Gregory Nava, who continues to explore the Latino-American experience. Nava's engaging script wisely mines his subject's life for humor and conflict, embracing Selena Quintanilla's passion for music, her affair with Chris Perez (John Seda), her tumultuous relationship with her father, Abraham (Edward James Olmos), and the enduring affection of her fans. As director, Nava effectively re-creates his characters' ethnicity without condescension, impressively explores the flip side of life on the road, and in a feat of technical skill, fills a stadium with 35,000 extras to re-create a seminal Houston Astrodome appearance. The pre-"JLo" Lopez is warm and genuine here, foreshadowing her own success as a recording artist while sealing the deal on an acting career that was by no means assured until the one-two punch of this film and the critically successful Out of Sight (1998). Seda is a quiet charmer as the pop star's guitarist and soul mate, while Olmos manages to be both lovable and petulant as the exacting Abraham. At times a hagiographic treatment of her life, a minor fault that can probably be blamed on the real-life Abraham Quintanilla's role as producer, Selena (1997) is nonetheless a satisfying and rich depiction of a talented but too-brief life in music. ~ Lisa Kropiewnicki, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Moctesuma Esparza  Producer 
Dave Grusin  Composer (Music Score) 
Robert Katz  Producer 
Gregory Nava  Director 
Gregory Nava  Screenwriter 
Abraham Quintanilla  Executive Producer 
Jennifer Lopez  Actor 
Edward James Olmos  Actor 
Rebecca Lee Meza  Actor 
Jon Seda  Actor 
Constance Marie  Actor 
Jacob Vargas  Actor 
Lupe Ontiveros  Actor 
Jackie Guerra  Actor 
Richard Coca  Actor 
Panchito Gomez  Actor 
Sal Lopez  Actor 
Victoria Elena Flores  Actor 
Rafael Tamayo  Actor 
Leon Singer  Actor 
Ruben Gonzalez  Actor 

Country: USA