An American in Rome

Steno (true name Stefano Vanzina) was born in Rome on 19 January 1917. While still at university he enrolled at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia and began contributing to the satirical journal “Marc’Aurelio”. After graduating in law in 1939, he devoted himself to scriptwriting and by 1948 had written some thirty scripts, starting with films for actor Erminio Macario. The first was “Imputato alzatevi!” (1939) by Mario Mattoli. He made his directing debut in 1949 in collaboration with Mario Monicelli on “Fame and the Devil (Al diavolo la celebrità)”. They went on to direct another seven films together, including the enormously successful “Cops and Robbers (Guardie e ladri)” (1951) with Totò and Aldo Fabrizi.
“Toto in Color (Totò a colori)” (1952) marked Steno’s first step in a successful career as a director on his own. Some of the most memorable films from this period were: “Un americano a Roma” (1954); “Piccola posta” (1955), featuring a splendid double act from Sordi and Valeri; “Hard Times for Vampires (Tempi duri per i vampiri)” (1959), a boisterous vampire farse with Renato Rascel and Christopher Lee; “How to Kill 400 Duponts (Arriva Dorellik)” (1967), a well-mannered parody of the then popular “black” comic strips and a kind of autarchic version of Blake Edwards’ “Pink Panther” (1963); “The Viking Who Came from the South (Il vichingo venuto dal Sud)” (1971), featuring a splendid performance from Lando Buzzanca; “Execution Squad (La polizia ringrazia)” (1972); “La patata bollente” (1979), a genteel sexcomedy emulating Edouard Molinaro’s “La Cage aux Folles (Birds of a Feather)” (1978); “Mani di fata” (1984), where the changes in Italian way of living are observed with amused bewilderment by a mildly conservative man from the past. Steno died in his city of birth on 13 March 1988 while at the height of his powers. —rai.it