Thank god for Enthusiasm. In an age which offers increasingly few arenas for debate on anything other than the most mainstream and homogeneous aspects of film culture it has become the buoy to which fans of independent cinema are forced to grimly cling in order to see such releases covered in depth and detail.
Sure, other publications claim to cater for the independent cinephile but whilst the standard of writing in once celebrated organs such as Sight & Sound remains as crystalline as ever, it is disheartening to spot a suitably hirsute Tim Roth adorning the cover of the September issue. Whatever one feels of Tim Burton as a director - and his importance as a decidedly leftfield American maverick cannot be underestimated - in a month that also saw releases of titles such as A Time For Drunken Horses and Tears Of The Black Tiger it was a saddening affair to see the ghastly Planet Of The Apes hogging even more of the limelight. One can't really blame Sight And Sound and the like for wanting to actually shift a few copies but the aforementioned episode did seem symptomatic of the continued marginalisation of non-Hollywood film product, even in such places as where it was once covered in distinct and distinguished detail.
So what is Enthusiasm? Produced by leading UK distributor/exhibitor Artificial Eye (whose film are all covered in the four issues that have appeared thus far), it is an informed, acerbic and yet surprisingly witty magazine published quarterly and distributed to leading book retailers and regional film theatres throughout the U.K. Presided over by the one and only Andi Engel - a man who possesses the magazine's title in abundance - it is edited with both perception and passion, particularly in regard to the somewhat laissez-faire attitude to the importance of cinematic diversity that has slowly enveloped critics and audiences alike in this country.
Produced in large format to luxuriant standards: the design, typography and general attention to detail is faultless. More importantly, between the covers one will find exhaustive and exclusive interview texts on directors such as: Danièle Huillet and Jean-Marie Straub, Claire Denis, Dominik Moll, Samira Makhmalbaf Bruno Dumont, Béla Tarr and Michael Haneke. Beautifully illustrated, the magazine also analyses the current cultural climate for the arts and periodically looks back at leading independent cinema figures such as Andrew Hoellering (the man responsible for London's premier rep cinema, the long deceased The Academy). Issue 4 (Summer 2001) also featured an illuminating retrospective piece on Dutch maverick Johan van der Keuken.
Readers of Kamera will like Enthusiasm very much. They share similar, edifying sensibilities.
Enthusiasm retails at £3.60. For a list of stockists call: 020 7240 5353. Or even better, to subscribe send a cheque payable to Artificial Eye for £10 (3 issues) or £20 (6 issues) to: 14 King Street, London, WC2E 8HR.
Reviewed by Jason Wood
