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Paul Thomas Anderson, Jonny Greenwood Ask ‘Melania’ to Remove ‘Phantom Thread’ Music

The longtime collaborators say Universal authorized the excerpt without the consultation required under Greenwood’s composer agreement.

Overview

  • Greenwood and Anderson issued a joint statement on Feb. 9 requesting that a segment from the 2017 Phantom Thread score be taken out of Brett Ratner’s Melania documentary.
  • They note Greenwood does not own the score’s copyright and frame their objection around an alleged breach of a contractual consultation clause.
  • At the time of reporting, the contested music remained in the film, and representatives for Amazon MGM and Universal had not responded to requests for comment.
  • The track used in the documentary was reported by The Hollywood Reporter to be “Barbara Rose,” as the film also features other high-profile needle drops such as the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter.”
  • Amazon MGM reportedly paid $40 million for Melania and spent about $35 million on marketing; after two weekends in theaters, the film has grossed roughly $13.3 million and drawn largely negative reviews.