Jonny Greenwood and Paul Thomas Anderson seek removal of Phantom Thread score from Melania Trump documentary
Radiohead guitarist and composer Jonny Greenwood, along with filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson, has formally requested the removal of music from their 2017 film Phantom Thread from a controversial documentary about Melania Trump. According to a joint statement issued by their representatives and reported by Variety, a piece of Greenwood’s score was used without proper consultation, which they argue constitutes a breach of the composer’s agreement.
Although Greenwood does not personally own the copyright to the Phantom Thread score, his legal team maintains that Universal, the film’s distributor, failed to consult him before authorising its use in a third-party project. As a result, Greenwood and Anderson have asked for the music to be removed from the documentary, which was directed by Brett Ratner and distributed by Amazon MGM Studios. Both Amazon MGM and Universal have been contacted for comment by The Independent.
The documentary includes a lengthy excerpt of “Barbara Rose,” one of the most recognisable pieces from Phantom Thread’s Oscar-nominated score. The film follows Melania Trump during the 20 days leading up to Donald Trump’s second presidential inauguration, showing her interactions with stylists, designers, and political allies, before culminating in footage of the inauguration ceremony.
Despite being widely criticised by reviewers, the documentary has performed better than expected at the US box office, earning $13.35 million domestically after two weekends. This success has been attributed partly to organised attendance by groups of Republican women. However, the film is still projected to fall short of recouping its enormous costs: Amazon MGM reportedly paid $40 million for the project and spent an additional $35 million on marketing, making it one of the most expensive documentaries ever produced.
The project also marked the return of director Brett Ratner, who has lived in Israel since multiple sexual misconduct allegations were made against him in 2017, allegations he has denied. Greenwood, meanwhile, has increasingly focused on film composition in recent years, contributing to more than a dozen scores, including There Will Be Blood and Licorice Pizza, further cementing his reputation as a leading contemporary film composer.