Another Glimpse of Selena

At the beginning of this documentary about the slain tejano music star, narrator Edward James Olmos seems about to cast Selena alongside Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley as one of the “global legends who passed away prematurely.” But reason prevails, and Olmos (from a script by John Lannert) instead states that even if her artistic legacy may not stand so tall, her death brought “unprecedented awareness of Latino culture in the U.S.”

And the impression left by this collection of clips and interviews chronicling her career is that the greatest tragedy of her death is the loss of a pop-culture ambassador. In this journey from preteen performer to young adult icon, we are taken through a vibrant and vital world--tejano music awards shows, performances at huge rodeo festivals--that is virtually unknown outside the Latino community.

Those illuminating glimpses, though, are pretty much it for insights. Produced by the performer’s family, this hourlong film is designed as a loving memento and nothing more. There’s no hint of controversy or struggle, no discussion of the family battles surrounding her marriage to guitarist Chris Perez and not even a single allusion to the circumstances of her death. Her father and manager, Abraham Quintanilla, mentions the “obstacles” she overcame on her road to success, but never says what they were.

In interview clips, Selena herself comes off as immensely likable, a girl-next-door who was on the threshold of the kind of crossover stardom that would have brought her world to the rest of us. She was not the Latino Madonna-in-the-making some claim, but she certainly would have been a tejano Gloria Estefan.

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