Directing

Steno

Born — Died

1917-01-19 — 1988-03-13

Place of birth

Rome, Lazio, Italy

Known for

Directing

Credits

41 titles

Steno, the artistic name of Stefano Vanzina (19 January 1917 – 13 March 1988), was an Italian film director, screenwriter and cinematographer. Two of his films, Un giorno in pretura (1954) and Febbre da cavallo (1976), were shown in a retrospective section on Italian comedy at the 67th Venice International Film Festival.

Known for

Banana Joe poster
6.7

Island farmer Banana Joe helps the local community by trading his bananas for goods. When gangsters arrive with plans to construct a banana processing plant, Joe kicks them out, but the mob boss discovers that Joe is operating without a license. After the mob tips off the authorities and Joe's boat is impounded, he ventures into a big city for the first time to seek help.

Banana Joe

1982

Flatfoot in Hong Kong poster
6.2

Inspector Rizzo is accused of drug trafficking. In order to clear his name he has to find out who is the person, from a Mafia ring, who has infiltrated his police department.

Flatfoot in Hong Kong

1975

The Knock Out Cop poster
6.5

Inspector “Flatfoot” Rizzo investigates crime and corruption in Naples.

The Knock Out Cop

1973

Flatfoot in Egypt poster
6.2

Inspector Rizzo and Marshal Caputo go to Egypt and look for Professor Cerullo, who is missing.

Flatfoot in Egypt

1980

Flatfoot in Africa poster
6.2

Inspector Rizzo in Napoli gets a message from a policeman from South Africa who wants to meet him. Immediately before this meeting the South African policeman is killed. Dying he shows Rizzo a picture of his young son Bodo. Rizzo travels to Johannesburg to find out what the policeman was working on and to find Bodo.

Flatfoot in Africa

1978

Lure of the Sila poster
6.2

Returning home after a night of love spent in a woodman's hut with Orsola, Pietro is arrested by the police for a crime he did not commit. His mother and youngest sister, Rosaria, go to Orsola begging her to provide Pietro with the alibi that will clear him. But Rocco, Orsola's brother, dreading a family scandal, constrains Orsola to silence. Condemned despite his innocence, Pietro escapes from prison, but the police track him down and kill him, and his mother, before the eyes of Rosaria. Years pass, and one day Rocco stumbles upon a half-frozen young woman lying in the snow. He takes her home and confides her to the care of Orsola. Later, yielding to the pleas of Orsola, Rocco and Rocco's son, Salvatore, the girl stays on in the house, and Salvatore falls in love with the beautiful stranger, who is careful to keep the family members from learning she is Rosaria, the grown up sister of Pietro seeking revenge for the deaths of her brother and mother.

Lure of the Sila

1949

Film credits

Behind the camera

Banana Joe poster
6.7

Island farmer Banana Joe helps the local community by trading his bananas for goods. When gangsters arrive with plans to construct a banana processing plant, Joe kicks them out, but the mob boss discovers that Joe is operating without a license. After the mob tips off the authorities and Joe's boat is impounded, he ventures into a big city for the first time to seek help.

Banana Joe

1982

Banana Joe poster
6.7

Island farmer Banana Joe helps the local community by trading his bananas for goods. When gangsters arrive with plans to construct a banana processing plant, Joe kicks them out, but the mob boss discovers that Joe is operating without a license. After the mob tips off the authorities and Joe's boat is impounded, he ventures into a big city for the first time to seek help.

Banana Joe

1982

Flatfoot in Hong Kong poster
6.2

Inspector Rizzo is accused of drug trafficking. In order to clear his name he has to find out who is the person, from a Mafia ring, who has infiltrated his police department.

Flatfoot in Hong Kong

1975

Flatfoot in Hong Kong poster
6.2

Inspector Rizzo is accused of drug trafficking. In order to clear his name he has to find out who is the person, from a Mafia ring, who has infiltrated his police department.

Flatfoot in Hong Kong

1975

The Knock Out Cop poster
6.5

Inspector “Flatfoot” Rizzo investigates crime and corruption in Naples.

The Knock Out Cop

1973

Flatfoot in Egypt poster
6.2

Inspector Rizzo and Marshal Caputo go to Egypt and look for Professor Cerullo, who is missing.

Flatfoot in Egypt

1980

Flatfoot in Egypt poster
6.2

Inspector Rizzo and Marshal Caputo go to Egypt and look for Professor Cerullo, who is missing.

Flatfoot in Egypt

1980

Flatfoot in Africa poster
6.2

Inspector Rizzo in Napoli gets a message from a policeman from South Africa who wants to meet him. Immediately before this meeting the South African policeman is killed. Dying he shows Rizzo a picture of his young son Bodo. Rizzo travels to Johannesburg to find out what the policeman was working on and to find Bodo.

Flatfoot in Africa

1978

Lure of the Sila poster
6.2

Returning home after a night of love spent in a woodman's hut with Orsola, Pietro is arrested by the police for a crime he did not commit. His mother and youngest sister, Rosaria, go to Orsola begging her to provide Pietro with the alibi that will clear him. But Rocco, Orsola's brother, dreading a family scandal, constrains Orsola to silence. Condemned despite his innocence, Pietro escapes from prison, but the police track him down and kill him, and his mother, before the eyes of Rosaria. Years pass, and one day Rocco stumbles upon a half-frozen young woman lying in the snow. He takes her home and confides her to the care of Orsola. Later, yielding to the pleas of Orsola, Rocco and Rocco's son, Salvatore, the girl stays on in the house, and Salvatore falls in love with the beautiful stranger, who is careful to keep the family members from learning she is Rosaria, the grown up sister of Pietro seeking revenge for the deaths of her brother and mother.

Lure of the Sila

1949

An American in Rome poster
7.1

Nando Moriconi is a young Italian living in Rome obsessed with all-things American.

An American in Rome

1954

An American in Rome poster
7.1

Nando Moriconi is a young Italian living in Rome obsessed with all-things American.

An American in Rome

1954

Three Tigers Against Three Tigers poster
5.1

Don Cimbolano - a priest in a small town. Oscar - a offender escaped from prison. Philip - attorney loser. They don't lose heart and find ways out of the most incredible situations.

Three Tigers Against Three Tigers

1977

Basta guardarla poster
4.9

Enrichetta, a young peasant girl who lives in a little village, joins Silver Boy as a dancer.

Basta guardarla

1970

Mafia Things poster
6.6

A young man unwantedly gets caught up in an international gang war in this humorous crime farce!

Mafia Things

1971

Mafia Things poster
6.6

A young man unwantedly gets caught up in an international gang war in this humorous crime farce!

Mafia Things

1971

A Soldier and a Half poster
7.2

Nicola Carletti is a middle age 50-year old man who return to Italy with his family but he is drafted to go to the mandatory military service in Italy.

A Soldier and a Half

1960

A Soldier and a Half poster
7.2

Nicola Carletti is a middle age 50-year old man who return to Italy with his family but he is drafted to go to the mandatory military service in Italy.

A Soldier and a Half

1960

An Ideal Adventure poster
5.0

Patricia, a journalist, is fed up with all the stupid chores and being ridiculed by her colleagues. To show her talent, she challenges her director Eugenio to test her. She will write a good article, but if she fails she will sleep with him.

An Ideal Adventure

1982

An Ideal Adventure poster
5.0

Patricia, a journalist, is fed up with all the stupid chores and being ridiculed by her colleagues. To show her talent, she challenges her director Eugenio to test her. She will write a good article, but if she fails she will sleep with him.

An Ideal Adventure

1982

Toto and the Women poster
6.8

Antonio Scaparro (Toto) is obsessed for women. He invents his own way to hide from them - in the attic of his house.

Toto and the Women

1952

Toto and the Women poster
6.8

Antonio Scaparro (Toto) is obsessed for women. He invents his own way to hide from them - in the attic of his house.

Toto and the Women

1952

Nero's Mistress poster
5.9

On seaside holiday, Nero, Poppea, Seneca and their friends and family prepare a great show where Nero will star. When his mother Agrippina arrives with her German praetorians and decides Nero has to conquer Britain, she's asking for trouble. Many attempts of murder and poisoning will happen on the eve of his great show.

Nero's Mistress

1956

Nero's Mistress poster
5.9

On seaside holiday, Nero, Poppea, Seneca and their friends and family prepare a great show where Nero will star. When his mother Agrippina arrives with her German praetorians and decides Nero has to conquer Britain, she's asking for trouble. Many attempts of murder and poisoning will happen on the eve of his great show.

Nero's Mistress

1956

Execution Squad poster
6.9

Bertone is a moderately honest homicide cop. Unfortunately, the court system is so inept and corrupt that many more-or-less honest policemen have begun taking the law into their own hands. Between his efforts to thwart the growth of crime and to control his vengeful co-workers, homicide-chief Bertone has his hands full

Execution Squad

1972

Execution Squad poster
6.9

Bertone is a moderately honest homicide cop. Unfortunately, the court system is so inept and corrupt that many more-or-less honest policemen have begun taking the law into their own hands. Between his efforts to thwart the growth of crime and to control his vengeful co-workers, homicide-chief Bertone has his hands full

Execution Squad

1972

Bonnie and Clyde Italian Style poster
5.1

Two stupid lowlifes are "forced" into a life of violent crime on the streets of Italy. What follows is a mocking takeoff of the American crime classic "Bonnie and Clyde."

Bonnie and Clyde Italian Style

1983

How to Kill 400 Duponts poster
5.1

Dorellik, an Italian contract killer that lives on the French Riviera, accepts a job to kill everyone with the surname Dupont that lives in France for a rich customer which supposedly would allow him to obtain a large inheritance.

How to Kill 400 Duponts

1968

The Unfaithfuls poster
5.7

A group of "respectable" people are all partly responsible for the suicide of a servant girl. They are pounced upon by a wily blackmailer, who knows that these people will pay dearly rather than inform on themselves or others.

The Unfaithfuls

1953

The Unfaithfuls poster
5.7

A group of "respectable" people are all partly responsible for the suicide of a servant girl. They are pounced upon by a wily blackmailer, who knows that these people will pay dearly rather than inform on themselves or others.

The Unfaithfuls

1953

Prickly Pears poster
5.3

Lorenzo is the mayor of a small town. One evening, returning home, surprised the well-known playboy Ghigo Buccilli who tries to seduce his beautiful wife. Enraged, he threatens the two with a gun, and Buccilli is the victim of a heart attack: the man survives but, forced to total rest, remains at the mayor's house. The result is an endless series of gags and misunderstandings, due to the stratagems devised by Lorenzo to avoid that the situation becomes the subject of gossip by fellow citizens ...

Prickly Pears

1980

Prickly Pears poster
5.3

Lorenzo is the mayor of a small town. One evening, returning home, surprised the well-known playboy Ghigo Buccilli who tries to seduce his beautiful wife. Enraged, he threatens the two with a gun, and Buccilli is the victim of a heart attack: the man survives but, forced to total rest, remains at the mayor's house. The result is an endless series of gags and misunderstandings, due to the stratagems devised by Lorenzo to avoid that the situation becomes the subject of gossip by fellow citizens ...

Prickly Pears

1980

A Day in Court poster
6.3

A day at an Italian trial court, where a magistrate judges a full array of peculiar petty crimes and characters.

A Day in Court

1954

A Day in Court poster
6.3

A day at an Italian trial court, where a magistrate judges a full array of peculiar petty crimes and characters.

A Day in Court

1954

Totò in the Moon poster
5.7

Two men embarks upon a space race. Their efforts are hampered by aliens who clone the heroes to keep them from exploring further.

Totò in the Moon

1958

Totò in the Moon poster
5.7

Two men embarks upon a space race. Their efforts are hampered by aliens who clone the heroes to keep them from exploring further.

Totò in the Moon

1958

Cops and Robbers poster
7.5

Esposito is a thief who cons tourists in Rome. Officer Bottoni manages to catch him and starts persecuting him. When Esposito manages to flee, Bottoni's superiors inform him that he'll lose his job if he can't catch Esposito.

Cops and Robbers

1951

Cops and Robbers poster
7.5

Esposito is a thief who cons tourists in Rome. Officer Bottoni manages to catch him and starts persecuting him. When Esposito manages to flee, Bottoni's superiors inform him that he'll lose his job if he can't catch Esposito.

Cops and Robbers

1951

Uncle Was a Vampire poster
5.6

Baron Osvaldo Lambertenghi is forced to sell his ancestral castle, staying on as a bellboy when it's converted into a hotel. However he becomes vampirized when his mysterious uncle comes to stay.

Uncle Was a Vampire

1959

Uncle Was a Vampire poster
5.6

Baron Osvaldo Lambertenghi is forced to sell his ancestral castle, staying on as a bellboy when it's converted into a hotel. However he becomes vampirized when his mysterious uncle comes to stay.

Uncle Was a Vampire

1959

Sins of Casanova poster
4.0

1760 Spain provides the setting for Giacomo Casanova's romantic escapades, every woman he encounters unable to resist his disarming charm, be they single, engaged, or even married.

Sins of Casanova

1954