There it was, a passing shot at a cinematic hero of mine right in the middle of "Cary Grant: The Lonely Heart," by Charles Higham and Roy Moseley.

But he remained both proud of his effort to turn the ancient Macedonian conqueror into a modern cinematic hero and fascinated by the historical details and contemporary implications of Alexander's story.

In India, cinematic heroes strip away the veils of fantasy at their peril.

Once upon a time, his revelatory deflations of overpraised directors, mischievous memorials to bygone starlets and reverential salutes to cinematic heroes like his beloved Jean Renoir made funny, provoking bedside reading.

But Kapadia's muted sensibility - which he learned from one of his cinematic heroes, the quietist French director Robert Bresson - paid dividends.

Profiles of the cinematic heroes and villains.

Early this year, Bonnie Black, a Hollywood talent agent, got a call from a casting director who was working against a deadline that even the toughest cinematic hero might have had trouble beating.

Mr. Costner follows in a long tradition of literary and cinematic heroes who have discovered Indians.

The headgear of the cinematic hero and the soprano are two icons that will travel Australia as part of the Australian Bicentennial Exhibition, which will visit 34 cities and towns throughout 1988.

Where the old cinematic heroes had beaten their heads against the wall in frustration at the limited range of possibilities offered to them, the new culture celebrated limitless potential.