Research Paper On Selena By Gregory Nava

1052 Words3 Pages

Mia Gorman Honors History 11 Mr. Crail 1 June 2024. Selena: A Legacy That Will Never Die. The 1997 biographical drama Selena directed by Gregory Nava accurately depicts the life story of Mexican-American Grammy award winning artist Selena Quintanilla’s rise and tragic end to fame in the 1980’s and 90’s. The film begins following Quintanilla's childhood. Housed in Houston, Texas, Selena lives with her mother Marcella, father Abraham, sister Suzi and brother Abraham III. At just 9 years old, Selena's father discovered her incredible talent for singing. Selena and her siblings create a band named "Selena y Los dinos" which includes Selena as the head vocalist, her sister Suzi as the drummer, and brother Abraham III on bass. Her family packed …show more content…

Selena's father despises his “trashy” look and personality, but can't deny his talent as a guitarist. Chris joins the band after an extensive makeover which included shaving his long, messy hair in exchange for a clean, short cut. Over the course of the film, Selena and Chris develop a romantic relationship which they are hiding from Selena's father, Abraham. While on their tour bus, Abraham uncovers the relationship that Selena and Chris have been keeping secret and he kicks Chris out of the band. After Chris was no longer a part of “Selena y Los Dinos”, Selena continued to meet with Chris privately. They both decided to secretly elope, avoiding the paparazzi and news reporters. Selena decided to tell her father about their marriage and he apologized for the way he had treated Chris. After developing a larger following and social status, Selena won a Grammy award for best Mexican-American album. After all of the income Selena and her family earned through their numerous performances, they decided to hire Yolanda Saldivar, the president of her own fanclub to handle their money. Selena opened up salons, clothing stores, and created her very own brand of jewelry. After a while, Selena’s …show more content…

After watching this film, I researched Selena’s real life and rise to fame. “Around the age of 10, Selena became the lead singer in her family’s band, Selena Y Los Dinos. The musical group started out playing weddings and clubs in their native Texas” (Manning). says Kimberly Manning, a writer for biography.com. Manning added the details of her death and killer, Yolanda Saldivar. “Selena was shot and killed by Yolanda Saldvar in Corpus Christi, Texas, on March 31, 1995. She was 23 years old. Selena’s murder sent shockwaves through the Latino community, and her fans around the world mourned the singer’s passing. After attending one of Selena’s concerts, Saldvar encouraged Abraham to create a fan club for his daughter. The former nurse, who became the club’s president, also managed Selena’s boutique in San Antonio. The two were meeting in a hotel room to discuss Selena’s concerns that Saldvar was embezzling money, according to court records, when Saldvar, 34, shot Selena. Saldvar surrendered to the police later that day” (Manning). Manning also provided photos of Selena's performance and attire. As displayed in the film, the photo entailed Selenas iconic purple jumpsuit in which she performed “Como La

More about Research Paper On Selena By Gregory Nava

Open Document