Marc Beckman responded to Paul Thomas Anderson and Jonny Greenwood’s claim that the documentary Melania used Phantom Thread music without approval. He dismissed the accusation as false and said the production had full “legal rights.”
Marc Beckman criticizes Paul Thomas Anderson and Jonny Greenwood’s claims
Marc Beckman, producer of Melania, rejected Paul Thomas Anderson and Jonny Greenwood’s claim that the film used the Phantom Thread score without permission. He told Breitbart News the film had full legal rights to use the music.
Beckman stated, “We have a legal right and permission to use every song and piece of music in the film,” calling the allegations “a blatant lie.” He added, “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 saying, “It has come to our attention that a piece of music from Phantom Thread has been used in the Melania documentary. 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 added, “Jonny and Paul Thomas Anderson have asked for it to be removed from the documentary” (via Variety).
Beckman responded, “We have legally binding, fully executed contracts in place to use every song in Melania,” and called the accusations “just ridiculous.” He also stated that neither Variety nor any other outlet reached out to his team for comment before publishing. “It’s unfortunate that none of them contacted anyone in our camp to see if their reporting was factually correct,” he said.
Anderson and Greenwood blamed Universal, not Beckman or Amazon MGM Studios. Greenwood earned an Oscar nomination for Phantom Thread in 2018. Both received nominations this year for One Battle After Another. Beckman said Melania earned $2.37 million in its second weekend in North America and $13.3 million worldwide.
He added, “Theaters continue to remain full. Audiences continue to applaud at the end of the film.”
