Sam Brody: American Filmmaker and Photographer

Sam Brody Left-wing Filmmaker, Photographer and Critic (1907-1987)

“I want once more to emphasize the newsfilm is the important thing; that the capitalist class knows that there are certain things that it cannot afford to have shown. It is afraid of some pictures ....”

Sam Brody was a founding member of the Workers' Film and Photo League, an independent organization founded in 1930 that produced and presented films documenting the Great Depression from a Marxist perspective. He is also known for his work as a photographer and film critic and for his long relationship with New York City painter Alice Neel.

Sam Brody Online Archive

For the RecordSam Brody Related News & Opinion

Sam Brody and the Film and Photo League in the Encyclopedia Britannica Online!

Sam Brody's Youngest Son Responds to the Film Alice Neel

First, let me make it clear that Andrew Neel has made a good film. Alice Neel is well-paced and eye catching. He's a talented filmmaker. Dare I suggest that it's in his genes? (More.)

The Worker's Film and Photo League on Wikipedia

David Brody’s Reaction to “Alice Neel: The Painter and Her Politics” by Gerald Meyer (an article appearing in the Fall 2009 issue of Columbia Journal of American Studies)

While there is some merit to Gerald Meyer’s article “Alice Neel: The Painter and Her Politics”, appearing in the Columbia Journal of American Studies, my objections boil down to three points: Scholarly laziness(at least in regard to Sam Brody), editorial sloppiness and ideological myopia. (More.)

Alice Neel & Sam Brody

Alice Neel, a film by Andrew Neel, had its New York City premiere at Cinema Village on Friday, April 20, 2007. A letter from Sam Brody's widow Sondra, in response to the film and the April 22nd New York Times feature article, was published in the April 29, 2007 Times Arts & Leisure section. Here is a fuller expression of her view of the film, in particular its depiction of Sam Brody:

Why do artists create?
This rather large question is posed by Hartley Neel to his son Andrew early on in the latter’s film about his artist grandmother, Alice Neel. Leaning into the camera, Hartley asks: “why are you sitting there with that camera making a movie?” (More.)

Sam Brody's Photographs of Alice Neel

All photographs are published courtesy of the Sam Brody Estate and cannot be used without permission. If you are interested in using a Sam Brody photograph, contact the estate at admin@sambrody.com