Editorial: Miramax 1979-2010

It has been announced today that the film production company Miramax, founded by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in 1979 and bought by the Walt Disney Corporation in 1993, is being shut down. The writing has apparently been on the wall for some time, with its slate of upcoming films shrinking in recent months, but it still comes as something of a surprise. It's also, in my eyes, quite a sad moment for the industry in general.

Miramax has overseen the genesis of many a film career, including Steven Soderbergh (with Sex, lies, and videotape), Quentin Tarantino (whose collaboration with the Weinsteins has continued for his whole career thus far), and Kevin Smith (Clerks). The company produced and distributed films that the mainstream studios often deemed commercially unviable, be it for budgetary, thematic, language or content reasons. They were arguably the most significant of the 'independent' studios whose films became so influential in the 1990s.

Of course, Miramax's independence in the strict sense of the word ended when Disney bought it in 1993, but this turned out to just be the start of what became a golden period for the company and the brothers Weinstein. Retaining relatively free reign over their films, Miramax had an extremely hot streak, when many of their releases made very good box office totals and, perhaps more significantly, were generously rewarded by the Academy. These included such pictures as The English Patient, Chicago, and Shakespeare in Love.

Let's not forget, though, that the Weinsteins were not universally loved within the industry, and generated some controversy with claims that they 'bought' some of their Oscars with lavish advertising campaigns targeted at voters (the most notorious example being Shakespeare in Love, which beat the likes of Saving Private Ryan, The Thin Red Line and Elizabeth to Best Picture). Likewise their handling of some films that they bought the rights to, particularly foreign films, came under fire, as they tended to favour a practice of re-editing these films against their directors' wishes. Still it must be conceded that, in some cases, if Miramax had not purchased the rights the films may not have seen the light of day in Western markets at all.

Once they hit the big time, i.e. after Disney took them over, their stock-in-trade became the slickly made, relatively high budget prestige piece, with often a talented pro at the helm (Scorsese's Gangs of New York and The Aviator, Anthony Minghella's aforementioned The English Patient, as well as The Talented Mr. Ripley and Cold Mountain, and Peter Weir's Master & Commander, to name just three notable directors who made films under the Miramax banner). While not every film Miramax backed was a success, and some seemed to strive too hard to act as awards magnets and therefore failed, the nature of filmmaking means that absolute consistency is elusive and critical reception is fickle. Miramax's hit rate was better than most.

Even when those credited with much of the success, the Weinsteins themselves, left to traverse pastures new in 2005 (setting up The Weinstein Company, which now also finds itself in financial difficulty, having failed to match Miramax's prior achievements), Miramax continued to produce much excellent, grown-up fare. The zenith in recent years came in 2007, when Miramax had a hand in both No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood, two films often cited as amongst the best of the whole decade. But the company will certainly be remembered as the Weinsteins' baby – the company name itself is proof enough of their personal connection (an amalgamation of their parents' names, Miriam and Max).

In the current Hollywood climate, the films being produced are becoming more and more polarised between the low-cost adult-friendly fare which scoops up awards and the high-cost multi-demographic blockbuster; there seems to be little market now or appetite within the industry for expensive, challenging films made for more mature audiences. There has never been a time when there has been as much of a disparity between critical acclaim and box office numbers. I don't like regurgitating old truisms, but the old chestnut "they don't make them like this anymore" really does apply to the likes of The English Patient or Master & Commander. And now Miramax has been dissolved, at the risk of sounding melodramatic, there are even fewer places where such films could hope to find a home.

But let's be honest here. How much will really change? After all, all that has happened is that Disney has closed one of its distribution arms. There are still directors out there whose name alone earns them clout to make personal pictures, even if their number seems to be diminishing. The inexorable dumbing down of mass market entertainment cannot continue forever.

I hope.

Not convinced about Miramax's influence? Check out the filmography on IMDb; it's one impressive list. So long Miramax – it was nice to have known you.