Bet You Didn’t Know: Secrets Behind The Making Of “Selena”

The murder omitted

You’ll notice that many of these details were omitted from the film. That was a very intentional and calculated move. In a 1997 interview with Caller-Times Interactive, Director Gregory Nava said he wanted the film to be a celebration of life rather than focusing so heavily on Selena’s death.

In terms of dealing with the death, I decided to go back to the most ancient template that there is for dealing with violence. I think it is, perhaps, the best still and that is the ancient Greek tragedy where you do not see the actual act of violence. It always takes place off stage and what you see is the consequences of the act.

When people speak about the depiction of violence in movies and television that we see today, many say, “Historically, violence has always been depicted.” That is not true. Historically, be it the ancient Greeks or Shakespeare or whatever, when violence is depicted, you see and understand the consequences of an act of violence.”

So he wanted to focus on showing the emotional impact her death had on the family. But he had to fight with the family to include them, specifically the scene in the hospital where they learn she has passed away.