Henri Colpi (; 15 July 1921 – 14 January 2006) was a French

film editor Film editing is both a creative and a technical part of the post-production process of filmmaking. The term is derived from the traditional process of working with film which increasingly involves the use of digital technology. The film edit ...

and

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, pr ...

Early life

Colpi graduated from the IDHEC in 1947. During 1950 to 1960, he edited films for such notable

French New Wave French New Wave (french: La Nouvelle Vague) is a French art film movement that emerged in the late 1950s. The movement was characterized by its rejection of traditional filmmaking conventions in favor of experimentation and a spirit of iconocla ...

directors as

Agnès Varda Agnès Varda (; born Arlette Varda; 30 May 1928 – 29 March 2019) was a Belgian-born French film director, screenwriter, photographer, and artist. Her pioneering work was central to the development of the widely influential French New Wave film ...

and

Georges Franju Georges Franju (; 12 April 1912 – 5 November 1987) was a French filmmaker. He was born in Fougères, Ille-et-Vilaine. Biography Early life Before working in French cinema, Franju held several different jobs. These included working for a ...

Career

Colpi directed the 1961 film ''

Une aussi longue absence ''The Long Absence'' (french: Une aussi longue absence, "Such a long absence") is a 1961 French film directed by Henri Colpi. It tells the story of Therese (Alida Valli), a Puteaux café owner mourning the mysterious disappearance of her husband s ...

'', which is well known for sharing the

Palme d'Or The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...

at the

1961 Cannes Film Festival The 14th Cannes Film Festival was held from 3 to 18 May 1961. The Palme d'Or went to the ''Une aussi longue absence'', directed by Henri Colpi and '' Viridiana'', directed by Luis Buñuel. The festival opened with '' Che gioia vivere'', directed ...

with ''

Viridiana ''Viridiana'' () is a 1961 Spanish-Mexican film directed by Luis Buñuel and produced by Gustavo Alatriste. It is loosely based on the 1895 novel ''Halma'' by Benito Pérez Galdós. The film was the co-winner of the Palme d'Or at the 1961 Canne ...

'', directed by

Luis Buñuel Luis Buñuel Portolés (; 22 February 1900 – 29 July 1983) was a Spanish-Mexican filmmaker who worked in France, Mexico, and Spain. He has been widely considered by many film critics, historians, and directors to be one of the greatest and ...

. ''Une aussi longue absence'' was written by

Marguerite Duras Marguerite Germaine Marie Donnadieu (, 4 April 1914 – 3 March 1996), known as Marguerite Duras (), was a French novelist, playwright, screenwriter, essayist, and experimental filmmaker. Her script for the film '' Hiroshima mon amour'' (1959) e ...

, featured

Alida Valli Alida Maria Laura, '' Freiin'' Altenburger von Marckenstein-Frauenberg (31 May 1921 – 22 April 2006), better known by her stage name Alida Valli (or simply Valli), was an Italian actress who appeared in more than 100 films in a 70-year career, ...

in a major role, and included music by

Georges Delerue Georges Delerue (12 March 1925 – 20 March 1992) was a French composer who composed over 350 scores for cinema and television. Delerue won numerous important film music awards, including an Academy Award for '' A Little Romance'' (1980), three C ...

. It also won the Louis Delluc Prize in 1960. His second feature ''

Codine ''Codine'' is a 1963 French-Romanian crime film directed by Henri Colpi. It was entered into the 1963 Cannes Film Festival where it won the award for Best Screenplay. Cast * Alexandru Virgil Platon as Codine * Françoise Brion as Irène * Ne ...

'' was also screening in competition at the

1963 Cannes Film Festival The 16th Cannes Film Festival was held from 9 to 23 May 1963. The Palme d'Or went to the '' Il Gattopardo'' by Luchino Visconti. The festival opened with '' The Birds'', directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Jury The following people were appointed as th ...

, where Colpi won the prize for Best Screenplay. Colpi is also noted as a film editor with about 20 credits, including

Alain Resnais Alain Resnais (; 3 June 19221 March 2014) was a French film director and screenwriter whose career extended over more than six decades. After training as a film editor in the mid-1940s, he went on to direct a number of short films which included ...

' films '' Hiroshima mon amour'' (1961) and '' L'Année dernière à Marienbad'' (1963). He edited

André Antoine André Antoine (31 January 185823 October 1943) was a French actor, theatre manager, film director, author, and critic who is considered the father of modern mise en scène in France. Biography André Antoine was a clerk at the Paris Gas Utilit ...

's forgotten film '' L'Hirondelle et la Mésange'' (''The Swallow and the Titmouse'') to a 79-minute feature that premiered in 1984. Antoine initially shot six hours of footage. In addition to directing, editing, acting, sound recording, and a variety of functions in the post-War years, he was featured in a French television series, '' L'Histoire du cinéma français par ceux qui l'ont fait'' (''The History of French Cinema By Those Who Made It'') in 1974, and he continued to work into the 1990s..

Filmography

(as director) *1961 ''

The Long Absence ''The Long Absence'' (french: Une aussi longue absence, "Such a long absence") is a 1961 French film directed by Henri Colpi. It tells the story of Therese ( Alida Valli), a Puteaux café owner mourning the mysterious disappearance of her husband ...

'' (''Une aussi longue absence'') *1963 ''

'' *1965 ''Mona, l'étoile sans nom'' (''Steaua fără nume'') *1967 ''Symphonie Nr. 3 Es-Dur opus 55 (Eroica) von Ludwig van Beethoven'' (documentary) *1970 ''Happy He Who Like Ulysses'' *1973 ''

The Mysterious Island ''The Mysterious Island'' (french: L'Île mystérieuse) is a novel by Jules Verne, published in 1875. The original edition, published by Hetzel, contains a number of illustrations by Jules Férat. The novel is a crossover sequel to Verne's f ...

References

External links

* * 1921 births 2006 deaths French film directors French film editors Directors of Palme d'Or winners Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Screenplay winners {{film-editor-stub