By Marcus Barnes



Couture dream: Keira Knightley looked stunning in the shimmering lace Valentino couture creation as she arrived at the premiere for A Dangerous Method



As a veteran of the red carpet Keira Knightley knows how to make an entrance.



And today she managed to make two big impacts upon the red carpet.

At the premiere of her new film A Dangerous Method Keira left the crowd swept away as she arrived in a floor-length Valentino couture gown.



The long sleeves shimmering dress boasted lace detail and golden applique on the flowered pattern.





Golden goddess: The actress opted for the floor-length gown but added a simple hair style and smokey eyes for her entrance





Keira, 26, teamed the golden gown with a simple up hair style and seductive smokey eyes.



The actress is set to stun fans in the film, in which she plays a sex-starved psychiatric patient, who enjoys masochism.



In sexually charged scenes the actress is seen being spanked with a leather belt, and later lying topless in bed.





Fitting dress: The 26-year-old opted for the vintage-looking dress to see her new film which is set in the early 20th century





She stars as Sabina Spielrein, who is admitted to a psychiatric hospital in the grip of hysteria, to be treated by renowned psychoanalyst Carl Jung.



Set in the early 20th century, the film follows the pairs ensuing love affair, and her rise to medical pre-eminence, as well as Jung's well documented relationship and bitter feud with Sigmund Freud.



And speaking at the festival Keira revealed that she wanted to continue starring in period films.



The whole gang: Michael Fassbender, Sarah Gadon, director David Cronenberg, Keira Knightley and Vincent Cassel posed ahead of the screening





She said: 'I do a lot of period drama. I just love them. I love everything about them.



'I'm interested in history and its a privelege that (playing such roles) is part of my job.'



Earlier in the day the actress arrived at a photocall at the Palazzo del Cinema in Venice for her the film in an amazing patterned Mary Katrantzou dress.



Keira stepped off her boat and onto dry land, sashaying into the press area giving off a superlative air of cool in her black shades.



Dazzling: Keira Knightley sparkles in her Mary Katrantzou dress at a photocall for new movie A Dangerous Method at the Venice Film Festival





She completed her dazzling outfit with a pair of nude-coloured patent heels.



Keira was joined by co-stars Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender, Sarah Gadon and Vincent Cassel at the photocall.



Set between 1904 and 1913, A Dangerous Method tackles the struggle between Sigmund Freud (Mortensen) and Carl Jung (Fassbender) to establish their supremacy at the dawn of the era of psychoanalysis.





Oozing cool: The 26-year-old actress sashayed off her boat giving off a superlative air of chic





Keira's character arrives at a Zurich hospital aged 18 to be treated by Jung.



In a distressing state, she's at human contact, twisting and contorting her body and face both in pain and terror.



Jung treats her though his 'talking method', getting her to relive her childhood, when her father used to beat her.



And, though he is married with children, Jung eventually admits to his repressed lust for Sabina and they embark on an affair.





Star of the show: Keira was the main attraction at the photocall - here she gets a helping hand off her boat





Disturbingly, he indulges her in her fetish for being spanked.



Keira's performance in the film has already garnered rave reviews, her ability to convey the intensity of Sabina's condition in the movie's early scenes coming in for the most praise so far.



Derek Malcom at the Evening Standard said of her performance: 'Though playing against two performers of considerable weight, she more than holds her own from the moment she arrives on the scene, a hysterical patient, to the time when her love for Jung is finally reciprocated.'





Rave reviews: The actress really pushes herself in her new movie in which she plays a troubled young lady who is treated by psychoanalyst Carl Jung





Meanwhile Keira's co-star in new movie Anna Karenina, Olivia Williams, has described her as a 'phenomenal actress'.



The are set to work together in the upcoming adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's classic novel which has British director Joe Wright at the helm and stars Aaron Johnson and Jude Law.



Olivia has no doubt that Keira would be confident in taking on the challenging title role.



She said: 'In some films you're on your own but in a Joe Wright film you're not on your own, it's a genuinely collaborative event and I think that she's a phenomenal actress with or without this incredible ensemble behind her.'





A Dangerous team: Keira with, from left, David Cronenberg, Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender, Sarah Gadon and Vincent Cassel in Venice









source:dailymail