A year ago, eyebrows were raised when it was announced that Amazon was paying $40m (then roughly £32m) for the rights to Melania, a documentary about US first lady Melania Trump. The price was said to constitute the highest-ever fee for a documentary film; a further $35m (£26m) has reportedly been spent promoting the movie, which is released in cinemas this week. A screening at the White House on Saturday was attended by the president and first lady, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Mike Tyson, and the Queen of Jordan, among others. Away from the president’s circle, however, the film has provoked more consternation.
Melania was shot in the three weeks leading up to the second Trump inauguration, and purports to offer rare insider access to the often inscrutable first lady while she makes arrangements for the president’s transition to power. Melania described the film to Fox News as a “private, unfiltered look as I navigate family, business, and philanthropy on my remarkable journey to becoming first lady”. The trailer gives away little of the film’s substance, but showcases its gloss: Melania’s hats, coats, sunglasses, and clothing ensembles. There’s a close-up shot of her expensive-looking boots. Marc Beckman, Melania’s outside adviser and agent, has claimed that the film is “not political at all” – but it’s already being dismissed as propaganda by some online critics.
