More outlets are joining our call from October 5th: Disney should give back the Miramax name to the Weinstein brothers.
Over the weekend came news that Disney followed through with its decision from a month ago. Miramax is no longer a thriving New York indie. It’s a catalog company with a few releases left to distribute. Daniel Battsek, who ran the company ably enough to garner a Best Picture win with “No Country for Old Men,” has stepped down.
I raised this issue in a column here on October 5th: that a family-oriented company like Disney should return a family name like Miramax to its originators. Miramax was named for Miriam and Max Weinstein, parents of Bob and Harvey.
Today a blog that shall not be named or linked to restated my original thesis (of course, without credit). And even though they sampled from us, much like Jay-Z does from old R&B records, it’s still a sound idea.
Disney loses nothing by returning the Miramax name. The movies released by a post-Weinstein Miramax can simply be relabeled as Disney Home Video releases. No one will care, and there aren’t that many of them. For the Weinsteins, it’s a matter of family.
As I wrote in this column a month ago, Disney chief Robert Iger is just the sort of magnanimous fellow to make this happen. As for those who take up our causes, a little credit would go a long way toward peace in the Internet valley.
November 3rd, 2009 at 3:23 pm
Aww, the poor Weinstein brothers! I feel so much sorrow for them. I’ve heard that they’re really super-terrific people. Generous and kind. They don’t deserve to not get everything they want in life, do they?
Perhaps the wonderful Weinsteins should now call their company Maxiam and give their father top billing for a change. Perhaps you should look for a more worthwhile and meaningful cause to get behind?
November 4th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Yeah I agree. Getting behind a cause that helps those two ogres ego’s isnt at the top of my list. I mean they are great at what they do and have allowed a great many movies to see the light of day. But stroking their egos isnt something I think they need anymore of. That is for sure!
November 6th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
The Weinstein’s permanently lost me as a customer of anything they produce when they supported a child molester going free. Not one thin dime anymore….it doesn’t matter about the company name. Their parents would hang their heads in shame.