Marcel Camus facts for kids

Marcel Camus (born April 21, 1912 – died January 13, 1982) was a famous French film director. He is best known for his movie Orfeu Negro, also called Black Orpheus. This film won a major award called the Palme d'Or at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival. It also won an Oscar in 1960 for Best Foreign Language Film.

The Life of Marcel Camus

Marcel Camus was born in Chappes, a town in the Ardennes region of France. When he was young, he studied art. He planned to become an art teacher. However, World War II changed his plans. During the war, he was held in a German prisoner-of-war camp.

Early Career in Film

Before he started directing his own movies, Camus worked with other filmmakers in France. He helped famous directors like Jacques Feyder, Luis Buñuel, and Jacques Becker. These experiences taught him a lot about making films.

Directing Black Orpheus

Camus directed nearly a dozen films in his career. His most famous movie is Orfeu Negro (Black Orpheus). This film was a huge success. It won the Palme d'Or at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival. This is one of the highest awards a film can win. It also won an Academy Award (Oscar) in 1960 for Best Foreign Language Film. This means it was considered the best non-English movie of the year.

Later Films and Television Work

In 1960, Camus made another film set in Brazil, called Os bandeirantes. About twenty years after Orfeu Negro, he returned to Brazilian themes for his last film, Bahia. This movie was based on a novel by the Brazilian writer Jorge Amado. However, these films did not become as famous as Orfeu Negro.

In 1970, Camus had some success with a World War II comedy called Le Mur de l'Atlantique (The Atlantic Wall). It starred a well-known French comedian named Bourvil. Towards the end of his career, Camus worked mostly in television.

Family Life

Camus married Marpessa Dawn, one of the stars from Orfeu Negro. They later divorced. He then married another actress from Orfeu Negro, Lourdes de Oliveira. Marcel Camus and Lourdes de Oliveira had two children. One of their children is the writer Jean-Christophe Camus.

Marcel Camus passed away in Paris on January 13, 1982. He is buried in the Père Lachaise Cemetery.

Films Directed by Marcel Camus

This is a list of some of the films Marcel Camus worked on:

• Champions Juniors (1951) – He was a writer for this film.
• Fugitive in Saigon (1957) – He was the director.
• Orfeu Negro (1959) - He was the director.
• The Pioneers (1961) - He was both a writer and director.
• Bird of Paradise (1962) - He was a co-writer and director.
• Le Chant du monde (1965) - He was the director.
• Love in the Night (1968) - He was the director.
• Atlantic Wall (1970) - He was the director.
• The Bread Peddler [fr] (1973, TV miniseries) - He was the director.
• Bahia (1978) - He was both a writer and director.
• Le Roi qui vient du sud [fr] (co-director: Heinz Schirk [de], 1979, TV miniseries) - He was the director.
• Mein Freund Winnetou (1980, TV miniseries) - He was the director.

See also

In Spanish: Marcel Camus para niños