Camus was born in
Chappes, in the
Ardennes département of France. He studied art and intended to become an art teacher. However, World War II interrupted his plans. He spent part of the war in a German
prisoner-of-war camp. On his return from captivity, his uncle, famous novelist
Roland Dorgelès, introduced him to several filmmakers. Camus assisted filmmakers in France, including
Jacques Feyder,
Luis Buñuel, and
Jacques Becker.
New Wave In a famous photo of the
French New Wave filmmakers, taken on the steps of the Palais des Festivals in Cannes in 1959, Marcel Camus appears alongside
François Truffaut,
François Reichenbach,
Claude Chabrol,
Jacques Doniol-Valcroze,
Jean-Luc Godard,
Roger Vadim,
Jean-Daniel Pollet,
Jacques Rozier,
Jacques Baratier, ,
Édouard Molinaro and
Robert Hossein.
Orfeu Negro In 1958, at the suggestion of producer Sacha Gordine, Camus travelled to Brazil to adapt a play for the screen with the help of Jacques Viot.
Orfeu da Conceição, by famous poet and diplomat
Vinícius de Moraes, became
Orfeu Negro, a transposition of the love story of
Orpheus and Eurydice to the favelas of Rio de Janeiro during Carnival. The film won over the general public and a large proportion of the critics. It was a worldwide success, winning several awards including the
Palme d'Or at the
1959 Cannes Film Festival Os bandeirantes In 1960, Camus made a second Brazilian-themed film,
Os Bandeirantes. This adventure film follows a French diamond miner in Brazil who, after being betrayed and left for dead by a friend, embarks on a quest for vengeance but finds himself falling in love with a Brazilian woman along the way.
Last films Camus had a great success with a
World War II comedy,
Atlantic Wall, starring the well-known French comedian
Bourvil. In 1976, Camus came back to the country that fascinated him and his wife. In a return to Brazilian themes, he directed
Bahia (also known as
Otalia da Bahia and
Os pastores da noite), adapted from Brazilian writer
Jorge Amado's
Os pastores da noite (
Shepherds of the Night). However,
Bahia failed to recapture the success of
Orfeu Negro. Camus ended his career working primarily in television. ==Personal life==