Henri Colpi
Henri Colpi (lang; 15 July 1921 – 14 January 2006) was a French film editor and film director.
Henri Colpi

Michel Lefrancq · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Name
- Henri Colpi
- Born
- 15 July 1921
- Birthplace
- Brigue, Switzerland
- Died
- 14 January 2006
- Place of death
- Menton, France
- Known for
- The Long Absence
- Occupation
- Film director, film editor
- Full name
- Enrico Colpi.
- Nationality
- Switzerland and France.
- Education
- Institut des hautes études cinématographiques.
- Honours
- Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres, Palme d'Or, Best Screenplay Award and Louis Delluc Prize.
- Languages
- French.
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q116253 · wikipedia · Henri Colpi
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
The documentary record
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Institutions cited
Bibliothèque nationale de France · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
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Biography
Biography
Henri Colpi studied at Institut des hautes études cinématographiques. The recorded working language is French. Places of work recorded in the authority are Switzerland. Positions recorded include president. Distinctions recorded are Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres, Palme d'Or, Best Screenplay Award and Louis Delluc Prize.

Das Grab des französischen Filmregisseurs Henri Colpi auf dem Cimetière marin in Séte (Hérault).
Harvey Kneeslapper
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Henri Colpi • Born — 15 July 1921 • Birthplace — Brigue, Switzerland • Died — 14 January 2006 • Place of death — Menton, France • Known for — The Long Absence • Occupation — Film director, film editor
Documentary record
Henri Colpi appears in the authority records of the Bibliothèque nationale de France and the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek as a film director and film editor (15 July 1921 – 14 January 2006). Henri Colpi was born on 15 July 1921; the birthplace is recorded as Brig by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek and as Brigue (Suisse) by the Bibliothèque nationale de France. Henri Colpi died on 14 January 2006; the place of death is recorded as Moskau by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek and as Menton (Alpes-Maritimes) by the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
Early life
Early life
Colpi graduated from the IDHEC in 1947. During 1950 to 1960, he edited films for such notable French New Wave directors as Agnès Varda and Georges Franju.
Career
Career
Colpi directed the 1961 film Une aussi longue absence, which is well known for sharing the Palme d'Or at the 1961 Cannes Film Festival with Viridiana, directed by Luis Buñuel. Une aussi longue absence was written by Marguerite Duras, featured Alida Valli in a major role, and included music by Georges Delerue. It also won the Louis Delluc Prize in 1960. His second feature Codine was also screening in competition at the 1963 Cannes Film Festival, where Colpi won the prize for Best Screenplay. Colpi is also noted as a film editor with about 20 credits, including Alain Resnais' films Hiroshima mon amour (1959) and L'Année dernière à Marienbad (1961). He edited André Antoine'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
Filmography
(as director) • 1961 The Long Absence (Une aussi longue absence) • 1963 Codine • 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
Identity
Identity
Henri Colpi is recorded with the occupation television director. Recorded with the occupation film editor. Recorded at birth as Enrico Colpi. Recorded as having received Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres, Palme d'Or and Best Screenplay Award. Recognition and collections. Colpi received Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres, Palme d'Or, Best Screenplay Award and Louis Delluc Prize.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1921
Henri Colpi was born on 15 July 1921.
2006
Henri Colpi died on 14 January 2006.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Brig.
Birth place
Menton.
Death place
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Henri Colpi”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q116253: Henri Colpi
General reference · Wikidata
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Henri Colpi, revision 1339017748 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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