It was a far cry from the south of France at the Savoy cinema in Dublin last night. The guests arriving for the premiere of The General, the film which earned John Boorman the best director award at the Cannes film festival, had to trudge through puddles. Sunglasses were not necessary.
But in a week when controversy seemed to follow the director like an over-watchful minder, the pouring rain may have been a bonus as there wasn't a single group protesting about the film and its subject, gangster Martin Cahill, outside the cinema. Indeed, possibly the only protesters were two of the callers to Liveline during the week.
Mr Boorman himself was philosophical concerning the level of debate about his film, only repeating rather wearily: "So much of the criticism came from people who hadn't even seen the film. It all seems rather spurious, really."
Brendan Gleeson, who plays Cahill in the film and who was hotly tipped for the best actor award, said he had made up his own mind about the ethics of the film months previously.
"Before I ever accepted the role, I had to decide was I comfortable with it. It was something John and I discussed over a six-week period. In the end, one of the purposes of the film was to provoke debate."
The guests at the reception in the Gresham Hotel prior to the screening included the Minister for Arts, ile Ms de Valera; cast members Maria Doyle Kennedy, Angeline Ball and Eamon Owens; film director Neil Jordan, singer Marianne Faithful, and Sister Stanislaus Kennedy of Focus Ireland, the charity which will benefit from the gala premiere, who described the film as "realistic. It's harsh and brutal but then violence is harsh and brutal."
Outside in the rain, Tom Feeney was waiting by the rather unnecessary crash barriers to congratulate Mr Gleeson, with whom he acted in Mel Gibson's film, Braveheart.
"I always come along to premieres to spot the celebrities. After all there's no celebrities if there's no people looking at them," he laughed. "I wouldn't object to the violence in this film. Well, there's no point living in this world with a blanket over your head, I say."