VENICE, Italy (Reuters) – George Clooney explores the dirty side of politics in “The Ides of March,” the opening movie at the Venice film festival in which an aide to a Democratic presidential candidate learns how dispensable ideals can be.

The Hollywood heartthrob directs and acts in the behind-the-scenes look at a U.S. election race, and the world premiere on Wednesday ensures a star-studded red carpet to kick off the 11-day cinema showcase in the canal city.

There was muted applause at the press screening ahead of a photocall, news conference and interviews for the drama in which Ryan Gosling plays the central role of press attache Stephen Myers.

A devoted employee to Clooney’s governor Mike Morris, he becomes embroiled in a high-stakes game of sex, power and horse-trading in a critical look at the reality behind political rhetoric.

For all his fine words, Morris emerges as a morally ambivalent figure under pressure to compromise in order to stay ahead in the race.

Oscar-winner Philip Seymour Hoffman plays Myers’s boss and Paul Giamatti his rival, and Evan Rachel Wood rounds off the main cast as an intern with a dangerous secret.

The Ides of March takes its inspiration from Beau Willimon’s play “Farragut North,” itself loosely based on the 2004 Democratic primary campaign of Howard Dean.

It is Clooney’s latest directorial foray into the world of politics following 2005′s black-and-white “Good Night, and Good Luck” which also launched in Venice.

While it may prove popular in a city where the 50-year-old is a firm favorite and movies critical of America tend to strike a chord, its reception in the United States where it hits theatres in October is less certain.

MADONNA, POLANSKI, SODERBERGH IN LINEUP

The evening gala screening marks the opening of the August 31-September 10 event, which promises

Article source: Read More