The Weinstein brothers had a dream. It was to become movie producers. Not just any movie producers, but the creme de la creme of Hollywood. They also wanted to do it with passion and intelligence. Of course, like all Hollywood business types/creatives, they were known for huge egos and monstrous tempers, but they didn’t have a patch on somebody like Don Simpson (who would?).

In terms of content, they were the anti-Simpsons and Bruckheimers and their type of movie defined a new type of American cinema for the 1990s. Sure, Hollywood continued producing its usual stuff, but the Weinsteins, who cutely named their studio after their mother and father, forged a first rate reputation. They began the company over 31 years ago and it reached the zenith of its success in the mid 1990s.

One of the great things about Miramax was its occasional daring amidst all the high-brow pap they produced. They gave Quentin Tarantino his first shot. Doug Liman, Anthony Minghella, John Madden, Kevin Smith, Steven Soderbergh have all profited from their relationship with the Weinsteins. They distributed foreign language movies and challenging fare to wider audiences and scored big at the Oscars. And therein lies one of the problems. They got too big for their boots and their advertising campaigns became a laughing stock as the years went by.

Disney have announced Miramax’s New York and Los Angeles offices will close down with a loss of eighty jobs. They have up to six movies waiting for distribution, including Julie Taymor’s The Tempest.

Now operating under the Weinstein Company, the brothers are continuing on with their moviemaking business. The sun has set on Miramax, but their legacy will endure.