Melania Documentary Producer Fires Back at Oscar Nominees: “That Claim Is Simply Not True”
Paul Thomas Anderson and Jonny Greenwood previously objected to the doc’s use of the “Phantom Thread” score.
A heated dispute is unfolding behind the scenes of the new Melania documentary — and this time, it’s not about politics. The film’s producer is pushing back strongly after two Oscar nominees questioned whether the production had proper permission to use a piece of music tied to the acclaimed film Phantom Thread.
“It’s a blatant lie,” Beckman told the right-wing outlet Breitbart News. “We have a legal right and permission to use every song and piece of music in the film. We have the legal rights to use it. We’ve done everything the right way. We followed protocol. We respect artists. We compensated everyone for their music.”
Anderson and Greenwood issued a joint statement condemning Melania‘s use of the Phantom Thread score on Monday, alleging that the studio behind their film, Universal, did not honor its contract with the Radiohead musician.
“It has come to our attention that a piece of music from Phantom Thread has been used in the Melania documentary,” they said in a statement to Entertainment Weekly. “While Jonny Greenwood does not own the copyright in the score, Universal failed to consult Jonny on this third-party use which is a breach of his composer agreement.”
They continued, “As a result Jonny and Paul Thomas Anderson have asked for it to be removed from the documentary.”
EW has reached out to representatives for Anderson, Greenwood, Universal, and Universal’s indie unit, Focus Features, for comment.
It’s worth noting that Anderson and Greenwood directed their complaint against Universal, not Beckman or the team behind Melania, which was produced by Amazon MGM Studios.
Greenwood received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Score for his Phantom Thread in 2018, and Anderson was nominated for Best Picture and Best Director for his work on the film. Both artists were nominated in those respective categories again this year for One Battle After Another, and Anderson also received a nod for Best Adapted Screenplay this time around.
Melania marks Ratner’s first film since he was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women in 2017. The film has grossed $13.3 million at the global box office to date. Amazon paid $75 million to acquire and advertise the film.
