Venice film festival 2011: George Clooney presents The Ides of March - in pictures

Hey hey! Here he is, zipping into town on a speedboat. Good to see ya, George! Photograph: Andrea Merola/EPA

Wherever George goes, grins await. Here, he charms a hotel bouncer. No money passes between them; with George, there is no need Photograph: Marco Sabadin/AFP/Getty Images

Such popularity means Clooney must travel with no fewer than three bodyguards at any time. Is the one on the far left reaching for his holster? Photograph: Marco Sabadin/AFP/Getty Images

More shooting near Clooney Photograph: Alessandro Garofalo/Reuters

Only one winner in the battle of the tans … Clooney with Ides of March co-star Philip Seymour Hoffman Photograph: Frederic Nebinger/Getty Images

Whoops! The hair fooled us for a moment – that's not Clooney, that's David Byrne, who's serving on the Venice jury this year Photograph: Dominique Charriau/WireImage

Perhaps you should try clicking even quicker? Photograph: Claudio Onorati/EPA

Another brief break from Clooney … here's Darren Aronofsky, president of the jury Photograph: Alessandro Bianchi/Reuters

Here are his fellow jurors, including Todd Haynes, Byrne, and Alba Rohrwacher Photograph: Graham Whitby Boot/Allstar/Sportsphoto Ltd./Allstar

All aboard the good ship George … Seymour Hoffman and Marisa Tomei set sail Photograph: Danny Martindale/FilmMagic

But Paul Giamatti has got sea legs Photograph: Danny Martindale/FilmMagic

And here they all are, alongside Evan Rachel Wood, apparently happy without him Photograph: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Images

Hey, maybe we don't need pictures of Clooney at all. Not when we've got the likes of Bianca Brandolini and Valentino ... Photograph: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

... and the lovely Eli Roth Photograph: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

OK, you're right. Who are we kidding? Photograph: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty Images