is a French film screenwriter and director.
Born in northern France, Gino Robert Enrico then grew up in Toulon where his parents, Italian immigrants, held a cycle shop.
A graduate of the IDHEC in 1951 (direct section), he devoted himself first to the assembly and production of short films commissioned by companies: “I remember having known François de Roubaix at the very beginning of my career. I then worked as an editor and assistant director on command shorts made by Marcel Ichac whose executive producer was Paul de Roubaix. François was very interested in these shootings and was still there to follow the manufacture and evolution of these small films. He was really passionate about image techniques. Subsequently, his father proposed to me the first film: L’Or de la Durance1. ”
Enrico is noted with La Rivière du owbou, a short film adapted from a short film by Ambrose Bierce who received the Palme d'Or for short film at the Cannes Film Festival in 1962 and the Oscar for Best Real-Shotal Short Film in 1964, before being bought by CBS to become an episode of the series created by Rod Serling, The Fourth Dimension. Enrico also won the Jean-Vigo Prize in 1963 for his first feature film, La Belle Vie. But the film, which deals in part with the Algerian war, is banned from distribution through censorship. Enrico enchain with two adventure films that were successful: Les Grandes Gueules with Lino Ventura and Bourvil and Les Aventuriers in which Ventura is flanked this time by Alain Delon and Joanna Shimkus. Shimkus stars from the next film by Enrico, Aunt zita, works with a much more meditative tone. This was followed by the police comedy Boulevard du Rhum, with Ventura and Brigitte Bardot, and the action film Les Caids.
In 1974, Enrico first directed Philippe Noiret in Le Secret, a dark espionage drama where Jean-Louis Trintignant and Marlène Jobert also appear. The following year, Enrico finds Philippe Noiret and signs what will become his most famous film: The Old Fusil, a story of revenge taking place during World War II. Very big success, Le Vieux rifle will also be the first recipient of the Caesar for Best Film.
It is for television that Enrico shot his next project, the adaptation of Paul Savatier's novel A silent nephew, describing the daily life of a child with Down's syndrome and his parents.
Tomb of Robert Enrico in Montparnasse cemetery (Division 12).
Afterwards, Enrico rotated regularly, alternating prestigious productions, such as the adaptation of the book Au nom les m by Martin Gray in 1983, and more intimate works such as the polar Pile or Face in 1980, with Michel Serrault and, once again, Philippe Noiret; or the sentimental drama De guerre lasse, according to a novel by Françoise Sagan. It was in 1998 that he made his last film, the family drama Made d'hiver.
He chaired the Academy of Arts and Techniques of Cinema, the Society of Film Directors, the SACD Film Commission and the European Federation of Audiovisual Directors.
