VENICE (AFP) - Rounds of applause and riotous laughter met Roman Polanskis grotesque comedy of manners Carnage at the press screening in Venice on Thursday ahead of the world premiere in the evening. The screen adaptation of playwright Yasmina Rezas acclaimed Broadway play The God of Carnage, Polanskis film tells the tale of two sets of parents who meet up to talk after their children get into a fight at school. Electric comic timing and star performances from an A-list cast of Kate Winslet, Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly and Christopher Waltz drive the film, shot in real time as the adults try settle the dispute with unpredictable twists. Though Carnage is set in Brooklyn, it was shot in Paris as the French-Polish director is unable to travel freely around Europe because he is wanted in the United States following a conviction there for unlawful sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl in 1977. Fears of extradition from other European countries notably Italy, which has a long history of cooperation with the United States means Polanski will not be present on the red carpet Thursday evening. Critics will inevitably draw a comparison between Polanskis status and the films claustrophobic atmosphere, with the use of close up shots, mirrored reflections and characters who pace back and forth in a tiny apartment.