Premiere April 1997

FEATURES
78 'Saint' Elsewhere
BY JOHANNA SCHNELLER
Val Kilmer's obvious gifts as an actor are, at times, overshadowed by his detractors' calling him "difficult" and "demanding," even "disturbed." Now The Saint's mysterious star gives his own take on hanging up his Batsuit, his failed marriage to actress Joanne Whalley, and predators he's encountered onscreen and in the wild.
86 Belle de Jour
BY TRISH DEITCH ROHRER
It was destiny," says the beautiful French actress Sophie Marceau about landing the title role in Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. Perhaps it was, but along the way there were a few hurdles, such as surviving Mel Gibson's practical jokes on the set of Braveheart.
88 Sundance's Class of '97
BY CHRISTINE SPINES AND ANNE THOMPSON
The press stressed the excess of crowds and the dearth of big-money deals, but those who actually went to screenings at the Sundance Film Festival discovered at least a dozen fine, small movies and some remarkable new filmmakers and performers.
95 The Big Night
BY STEVE POND PHOTOGRAPHS BY LARA JO REGAN
PREMIERE takes an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the painstaking rehearsals and last-minute crises that turned last year's Academy Awards into Hollywood's main event. To prep for the new prize, check our critics poll of the noteworthy movies of '96.
114 The Don Cheadle Experience
BY MARK EBNER
Nabbing roles in John Singleton's Rosewood and the upcoming Boogie Nights and Volcano hasn't softened actor Don Cheadle's attitude toward racism. "It's epidemic and endemic," he says, "and of course you're going to see it in Hollywood."
118 Mod Sod
BY STEVE POND
PHOTOGRAt hED BY DAVID STRICK
An exclusive peek ai the Mike Myers spy spoof, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, reveals sets and costumes to make the '60s go snap-crackle-pop!
DEPARTMENTS
30 Hollywoodland
Madonna s small-town blues; Sigourney Weaver's Alien Resurrection coup; John Waters's Pink revival; a Blissful controversy; and jungle-movie bungles.
62 The Sorrow and the Pity
BY LIBBY GELMAN-WAXNER
Still recovering from Daniel Day-Lewis's marriage to someone other than herself, Libby expounds on Woody Allen's ego, Turbulence's crash landing, and Shine's treacherous "Rach 3."
67 THE FILMMAKER SERIES
David Cronenberg
BY GLENN KENNY
The cinema's master provocateur takes the critics of his latest film, Crash, head-on, and explains why hard-to-watch sex scenes are easy to shoot.
73 Now Leaving Fargo
BY DAVID KRONKE
What's next for Frances McDormand? The actress who won critical acclaim, numerous awards, and the much-valued respect of her peers for her performance in Fargo discusses her path down Paradise Road and beyond.
121 Home Guide
Is PCTV a must-see?; Russ Meyer does what he does breast; Albert Brooks sweats it out with Holly Hunter in Broadcast News; and more.
OTHER
22 LETTERS
24 CALENDAR
126 CLASSIFIEDS
136 THE MARTINI