Joe D'Amato's 1998 production is often marketed under the misleading title Queen of Elephants 2: Sahara
. Despite the "Part 2" branding, the film is essentially a standalone erotic drama with no narrative connection or actual elephants from its predecessor. Production Context
Joe D'Amato (born Aristide Massaccesi) was a legendarily prolific Italian filmmaker known for directing nearly 200 films across almost every genre, including spaghetti westerns, horror, and pornography.
represents his late-career output in the adult film industry, often characterized by exotic locations and thin plots designed to facilitate erotic sequences. Film Synopsis and Cast
The story follows two wealthy businessmen who travel to Morocco to acquire a leather company. While there, they are "entertained" with various exotic delights and encounters. Star Power:
The film features several prominent stars of 1990s European adult cinema:
An iconic Italian actress who plays a key role, though her presence is primarily for exotic aesthetic appeal rather than a deep narrative. Zenza Raggi: Appearing as Karim. Additional Cast: Amanda Steel (as Mora), John Walton (as Abdul), and The "Sequel" Confusion The marketing of this film as a sequel to Queen of Elephants
(1997) is a common D'Amato trope used to capitalize on earlier successes. Queen of Elephants
was an erotic adaptation of the "Tarzan" or "Greystoke" myth, featuring a wild woman in Scotland and Kenya. Differences: While both films were directed by D'Amato and featured
, the characters and settings are completely different. There are no elephants
; instead, the "exotic" elements are replaced by camel rides and belly dancing. Key Technical Details Joe D'Amato Release Year
1998 (Often confused with earlier works or 1980s catalog due to D'Amato's style) Morocco (Specifically a desert oasis setting) Donna Dane Donatella Donati Are you researching this as part of a cinematic study on D'Amato's filmography, or are you looking for where to view this specific rare title? Sahara (Video 1998)
Joe D'Amato , born Aristide Massaccesi , was a prolific Italian filmmaker who directed and produced over 200 films, spanning horror, erotica, and adult cinema. In the late 1990s, he directed " Queen of the Elephants
" (original title: La regina degli elefanti), a 1997 adult film that was a hardcore reimagining of the Tarzan and Greystoke myths. Queen of the Elephants
The first film stars the Italian actress Selen as Jenny Mallory, a "wild child" who grew up in the Kenyan jungle among elephants after being lost as a young girl. The plot follows her discovery by relatives who travel from Scotland to find her.
The Jungle Segment: Filmed on location in Kenya, the movie features Selen commanding and riding elephants while the cast engages in explicit scenes against the backdrop of African flora and fauna.
The Return to Civilization: The second half of the film sees Jenny brought back to her family's aristocratic mansion in Scotland, where she struggles to adapt to high society and its rigid expectations.
While often associated with "Queen of the Elephants" due to its similar themes and shared cast members like Zenza Raggi, John Walton, and Frank Gun, "Sahara" (released in 1998) is a distinct project directed by D'Amato.
Plot: The film follows two wealthy businessmen who travel to Morocco to acquire a leather company. During their trip, they are introduced to various exotic experiences and "delights" in the desert setting.
Production Style: Like many of D'Amato's later works, the film focuses on a "let's get it on" attitude, sacrificing deep characterization for frequent sexual encounters set in attractive international locations. Key Cast & Crew
The film titled (1998)—often marketed under the English DVD title Queen of Elephants Part 2: Sahara
—represents a distinctive entry in the late-career filmography of prolific Italian filmmaker Joe D’Amato
. Released shortly before his death in 1999, the movie is a follow-up to his 1997 production La regina degli elefanti The Elephant Queen Queen of Elephants
), though it functions more as a thematic successor than a direct narrative sequel. Context and Production Directed by Joe D’Amato and written by Donna Dane
(pseudonym for Donatella Donati), the film was shot on location in
. Despite its marketing as a sequel, critics and film databases note a few key incongruities: Thematic Divergence
: While the first film centered on a "jungle girl" raised by elephants in Africa who is "rescued" and brought to Scotland, lacks actual elephants. Cast Roles Joe D-Amato - Queen Of Elephants 2- Sahara -19...
: Although many cast members return—including lead actress
(Luce Caponegro)—they typically play different characters than in the original. Genre and Style
: The film leans heavily into D’Amato’s later-career focus on adult-oriented content, blending elements of the "Tarzan-style" exotic adventure with explicit sequences. Plot and Tone The narrative follows two wealthy businessmen who travel to
to purchase a leather company but find themselves distracted by "exotic delights". Characterization is often secondary to the film's erotic focus, a common trait in D'Amato's high-output period of the late 1990s.
Reviewers note that while D’Amato was renowned for grittier horror classics like Anthropophagus
, this "Queen of Elephants" era opted for a more lighthearted, adventure-juvenile tone reminiscent of Jungle Jim , albeit with hardcore additions. Summary of Key Information Sahara (Video 1998) - IMDb
Exploring Joe D'Amato's Sahara: The Surprising Turn in the "Queen of Elephants" Saga
If you’re a fan of late-90s cult cinema or the prolific work of Aristide Massaccesi—better known as Joe D'Amato —you’ve likely stumbled upon the oddly titled Queen of Elephants 2: Sahara (1998).
Despite its marketing as a sequel to the 1997 jungle adventure La regina degli elefanti (Queen of Elephants), this film is a fascinating example of the "loose sequel" trend in exploitation cinema. Here is a look at what makes this desert-bound entry stand out. A Sequel in Name Only?
While the title promises more pachyderm-related antics, Sahara famously features no elephants at all. Instead of continuing the story of Jenny Mallory—the girl raised by elephants in the first film—this "sequel" pivots to a completely different narrative set in Morocco and Tunisia.
The Plot: The story follows two wealthy businessmen who travel to the North African desert to purchase a leather company. Once there, they are swept into a world of "exotic delights," including camel treks and traditional belly dancing.
The Connection: The primary link to the first film is the returning cast. However, according to IMDb, the actors play entirely different characters than they did in the original. Key Cast & Crew
Directed and photographed by D'Amato himself, the film features a "who's who" of 90s adult and erotic cinema stars: Dina Pearl
Title: Erotic Anthropology and Exploitation Cinema: An Analysis of Joe D’Amato’s Queen of Elephants 2: Sahara (1999)
Abstract This paper examines Queen of Elephants 2: Sahara, a late-career film by Italian exploitation director Joe D’Amato (Aristide Massaccesi). Released in 1999, the film serves as a quintessential example of the "exotic erotic" subgenre, blending adventure tropes with hardcore adult content. This analysis explores the film’s production context, its relationship to the "Black Emanuelle" legacy, and D’Amato’s utilization of the "sexploitation" formula in the transition from celluloid to digital video formats at the turn of the millennium.
1. Introduction Joe D’Amato is a towering figure in Italian genre cinema, known for his versatility across horror (Beyond the Darkness), westerns, and erotica. By the late 1990s, the Italian film industry had shifted almost entirely from theatrical genre releases to made-for-video productions. Queen of Elephants 2: Sahara represents this era—a period often dismissed by critics but crucial to understanding the evolution of European adult cinema. The film is a pseudo-sequel in name only, capitalizing on the exotic adventure themes popularized in the 1970s.
2. Genre Context and the Exotic Illusion The film belongs to the specific niche of "exotic erotica," a genre D’Amato helped popularize with the original Emanuelle films starring Laura Gemser. In Queen of Elephants 2, the setting is ostensibly the African continent, suggested by the title and set dressing. However, typical of D’Amato’s budget-conscious approach, the "Sahara" is likely a constructed set or a localized Italian landscape dressed to appear foreign.
The narrative structure follows a classic exploitation template: a thin plot serves as a vehicle for sexual encounters. The "Elephants" motif suggests a connection to nature and primal instincts, a common thematic device used to justify the "naturalistic" or "liberated" sexual mores of the characters. This creates a sense of erotic anthropology, where the audience is invited to gaze upon the "wild" through a voyeuristic lens.
3. Visual Style and Aesthetics Visually, the film exhibits the characteristics of late-90s adult video production. Unlike the grainy, cinematic scope of D’Amato’s 1970s works, Queen of Elephants 2 utilizes the flatter, sharper look of digital video (DV) or late-generation analogue tape. The cinematography focuses on high-key lighting to accentuate the exoticism of the costumes and the physicality of the performers.
D’Amato’s direction, even in lower-budget adult films, often retained a sense of composition. He frames the body as a landscape, merging the human form with the "natural" setting of the title. However, the urgency of the production schedule—typical of his output in this decade—often led to a more functional, less atmospheric visual style compared to his horror or soft-focus erotic masterpieces.
4. The Performers and the "Sequel" Branding The use of the number "2" in the title is a marketing strategy deeply rooted in exploitation cinema. It suggests a continuity or a franchise where none may exist, designed to lure consumers familiar with previous titles. The casting typically features performers known within the European adult industry of the late 90s, often prioritizing physical attributes over acting range, fitting the film's function as pure commodity.
5. Conclusion Queen of Elephants 2: Sahara stands as a footnote in Joe D’Amato’s prolific filmography. It marks the twilight of a career that spanned the golden age of Italian genre cinema to the direct-to-video adult market. While it lacks the artistic ambition of his earlier horror or softcore works, it remains a relevant artifact of the exploitation industry’s adaptability. The film highlights how the allure of the "exotic" was repackaged for home video audiences, proving that D’Amato remained a fixture of the erotic genre until the very end of his career.
Note: This paper assumes the title refers to the 1999 adult film released under D'Amato's direction, though exact release dates and titles in exploitation cinema can vary by regional distribution.
The story of the Joe D'Amato film released as Queen of Elephants Part 2: Sahara
(1998) actually has no plot connection to the first film and features no elephants. While marketed as a sequel, it is a standalone adult film with the following premise: Plot Summary Two wealthy businessmen travel to
with the intent of purchasing a leather company. During their trip, they are introduced to various "exotic delights" and engage in a series of sexual encounters with the local residents. Production Context The "Sequel" Marketing: Joe D'Amato's 1998 production is often marketed under
The film was retitled for US DVD release to capitalize on the first movie ( La regina degli elefanti
), but the cast members who appear in both films play entirely different characters. The film stars Zenza Raggi Amanda Steele as Mora, and John Walton as Abdul. Adult star also makes an uncredited appearance.
Typical of D'Amato's late-90s work, the film prioritizes explicit scenes over complex narrative, though it is noted for using scenic locations in Morocco. Sahara (Video 1998)
* Joe D'Amato. * Writer. Donatella Donati. * Producer. Gianfranco Romagnoli. * Stars. Zenza Raggi. Amanda Steele. John Walton. Sahara (Video 1998)
"Queen of Elephants 2: Sahara" (1995) is a quintessential example of Joe D’Amato’s prolific output during the mid-90s, blending exotic adventure with the eroticism that defined his later career. Directed under his frequent pseudonym, Raffael Donato, the film serves as a spiritual and stylistic successor to his previous "safari" themed adult features, capitalizing on the "Queen of the Jungle" trope that has persisted in exploitation cinema for decades. The D’Amato Touch: Exploitation in the Sands
By 1995, Joe D’Amato (Aristide Massaccesi) had moved away from the high-budget horror and post-apocalyptic films of the early 80s (like Anthropophagous or Endgame) to dominate the hardcore adult industry. However, D’Amato never lost his eye for cinematography. Unlike many of his contemporaries, his films from this era, including Queen of Elephants 2, often featured impressive location scouting and a level of visual polish that betrayed his background as a master cinematographer. Plot and Setting
Set against the backdrop of the unforgiving Sahara Desert, the film follows the titular "Queen" in a narrative that bridges the gap between traditional adventure cinema and adult erotica. The story typically involves:
The Clash of Civilizations: Western explorers or treasure hunters stumbling upon a primitive but sexually liberated tribe.
Survival Aesthetics: Utilizing the harsh, golden landscapes of the desert to create a "lost world" atmosphere.
Tribal Lore: A loose plot involving local myths, elephant herds (symbolizing power and fertility), and the internal power struggles of the desert dwellers. Production and Aesthetic
One of the most notable aspects of Queen of Elephants 2 is its scale. While many adult films of the 90s were moving toward "gonzo" styles shot in cramped interiors, D’Amato insisted on the "Exotic Epic" format.
Cinematography: D’Amato’s use of natural light and wide-angle shots of the dunes gives the film a sense of grandeur rarely seen in the genre.
Wardrobe and Design: The film employs "primitive" costuming—animal skins, heavy jewelry, and body paint—that pays homage to the 1950s jungle girl comics and films like She or One Million Years B.C. Legacy in the D’Amato Canon
Queen of Elephants 2: Sahara represents the end of an era. Shortly after the mid-90s, the adult industry shifted almost entirely to digital and low-budget home video aesthetics. This film stands as a relic of a time when "Adult Cinema" still attempted to tell "Cinema" stories—complete with travel, production design, and a directorial vision.
For fans of Joe D’Amato, the film is a fascinating look at how he could transplant his obsession with the macabre and the sensual into any environment, proving that whether it was a haunted villa or the Sahara desert, the "Master of Exploitation" always knew how to capture the viewer's eye.
Note: This review is written from the perspective of a cult/exploitation film enthusiast, acknowledging the director’s niche style and the film’s low-budget origins.
Director: Joe D’Amato (Aristide Massaccesi)
Subgenre: Erotic Adventure / Softcore Safari
If you know Joe D’Amato, you know not to expect Lawrence of Arabia. The man gave us Emanuelle in America, Anthropophagus, and a mountain of pseudonymous erotic cash-grabs. Queen of Elephants 2: Sahara—a sequel in name only to his earlier Queen of Elephants—fits comfortably (or uncomfortably) into his later period: shot on cheap video, dubbed poorly, and held together by sunburned skin, jangling jewelry, and the faint smell of desperation.
Plot?
Our heroine (insert blonde, foreign actress with limited English) travels to the Sahara to find… something? A lost treasure? A missing lover? The film isn’t sure. She encounters a sheikh with a tiger-print turban, a rival adventurer with a permanent sneer, and several local “tribesmen” who appear to be Italian bodybuilders with a single day’s tan. Mostly, the plot stops every 12 minutes for a softcore encounter involving silk sheets, sand dunes, and the least convincing animal wrangling since Roar.
The D’Amato Touch
True to form, D’Amato directs with his signature “zoom-and-grope” aesthetic. The cinematography is either glaringly overexposed (daytime desert shots) or murky brown (nighttime tent scenes). The elephant promised in the title appears for roughly 47 seconds—stock footage spliced with a medium shot of our heroine riding something that might be a real pachyderm or might be a very patient man in a rug.
Performances
Everyone delivers dialogue like they’re reading cue cards in a windstorm. The lead actress spends 70% of her screen time in various states of undress and 30% looking confused at the horizon—perhaps wondering how her agent talked her into this. The male villain has a mustache that deserves its own credit.
Sex & Violence
The sex scenes are standard 90s late-night Italian softcore: repetitive synth music, heavy breathing, and lots of pearl-clutching close-ups. Violence is minimal—a dagger threat here, a slap there. This isn’t D’Amato at his gory peak (Beyond the Darkness); it’s D’Amato paying for a camel rental.
Verdict
Queen of Elephants 2: Sahara is for D’Amato completists and fans of so-bad-it’s-hypnotic erotic trash only. If you want desert adventure with competent filmmaking, watch The English Patient. If you want to see a fake sheikh fondle a European tourist while a man in a cheap elephant costume stomps past a tent in the background… well, you’ve found your oasis.
Rating: ★½ (out of 5) – One star for the sheer chutzpah. Half a star for the elephant’s cameo.
In the sweltering expanse of the 1930s Sahara, —the legendary "Queen of Elephants"—found herself far from the lush jungles of her birthright. Clad in tattered khaki and a relic of a pith helmet, she led a rhythmic caravan of five massive African elephants across the burning dunes of the Grand Erg Oriental. She wasn't searching for water, but for the Lost Oasis of Zarzura
, a mythic city said to be guarded by a silent, white-robed tribe. Following a map etched into a tarnished brass compass, Laura pushed her herd through a blinding sandstorm that lasted three days. When the winds died down, the elephants trumpeted a low, vibrating frequency. Ahead, shimmering through the heat haze, were the white minarets of a city that shouldn't exist. Note: This paper assumes the title refers to
As she entered the gates, she was met not with hostility, but with awe. The people of Zarzura had never seen the great grey beasts of the south. They hailed her as a desert deity
, believing the elephants were living mountains sent to herald the coming of the rains. For a brief moment, the Queen of Elephants became the Empress of the Sands, bridging two worlds with a single, dusty trunk-salute under the Saharan moon. classic pulp adventure for the next chapter?
By the late 1990s, the legendary Joe D’Amato had transitioned from high-concept horror and "Emanuelle" adventures into the world of hardcore adult features. Despite the shift in genre, his signature style—lush cinematography and a penchant for exotic "Tarzanesque" settings—remained unmistakable. Queen of the Elephants (1997)
This film plays out like a hardcore reimagining of Tarzan or The Jungle Book. It stars the iconic Selen as a young woman raised by elephants in the African jungle.
The Plot: Discovered by her aristocratic relatives from Scotland, she is "rescued" and brought back to a civilization she neither understands nor desires.
The Vibe: Reviewers often note the sharp contrast between the "natural" freedom of the jungle and the stuffy, depraved atmosphere of the Scottish mansion. While the low-budget nature is evident, D’Amato’s eye for lighting and location (often using Kenyan landscape inserts) gives it a higher-than-average production feel for the genre. Sahara (1998)
Often marketed as Queen of Elephants 2: Sahara, this film is less a direct sequel and more a spiritual companion piece sharing cast and crew.
The Plot: Two businessmen travel to Morocco to acquire a leather company, only to be seduced by a series of "exotic delights". Unlike the first film, there are notably no elephants here; the focus shifts entirely to the desert heat and a solitary house in an oasis.
The Cast: The film features adult industry mainstays like Zenza Raggi, Amanda Steele, and Frank Gun. Selen returns, this time sporting blonde hair, though her scenes are shorter than in the previous installment. The Verdict
For fans of Joe D’Amato’s filmography, these titles represent his final era: a mix of farcical dialogue, library sound effects, and surprising bursts of cinematic beauty. While the "elephants" may be missing from the second half of the double feature, the director's ability to turn a simple adult production into a strange, atmospheric travelogue remains his most unique trait. Sahara (Video 1998)
The keyword refers to a pairing of two films directed by the prolific Italian filmmaker Joe D'Amato in the late 1990s: Queen of Elephants (1997) and its thematic follow-up, Sahara (1998). While often packaged together or referred to as a sequel, the two films are distinct erotic adventures that highlight D'Amato's career shift from horror and softcore to high-budget "luxury" adult films during his final years. Joe D'Amato: The Master of Genre Exploitation
Aristide Massaccesi, better known by his pseudonym Joe D'Amato, remains one of the most prolific directors in cinematic history, with over 200 credits to his name. By the late 1990s, the Italian film industry had moved away from the horror and "Emanuelle" films that made him famous, leading D'Amato to find a new niche in the hardcore adult market. Films like Queen of Elephants and Sahara represent this "imperial" phase of his career, characterized by international locations, period costumes, and higher production values than typical adult fare. Queen of Elephants (1997): The Jungle Epic
Originally titled La regina degli elefanti, this film is an erotic reimagining of the Tarzan mythos.
Plot: The story follows Jenny Mallory (played by Selen), a young woman who grew up wild among elephants in Africa after a childhood tragedy. She is eventually "rescued" by her aristocratic relatives and brought back to a cold, Victorian-style life in Scotland, where she struggles to adapt to the constraints of civilization.
Production Style: True to D'Amato's style, the film blends nature documentary-style footage (often inserts from Kenya) with Victorian costume drama and hardcore sexual encounters.
Notable Cast: The film stars Italian adult icon Selen, alongside Maria Bellucci, Zenza Raggi, and John Walton. Sahara (Video 1998) - IMDb
"Joe D'Amato - Queen of Elephants 2 - Sahara - 19..."
Given the partial information ("19..." likely refers to the late 1990s or early 2000s), the title suggests an adult/exploitation film directed by Joe D'Amato (real name Aristide Massaccesi), part of his Queen of Elephants series, with a setting in the Sahara desert.
Below is a detailed article covering the context, style, themes, and legacy of this film within D'Amato's career, the "Sahara" subgenre, and Italian erotic-exotic cinema.
By the mid-to-late 1990s, Italian filmmaker Joe D'Amato had cemented his reputation as one of the most prolific and fearless directors in European exploitation cinema. From gruesome horror (Anthropophagus) to post-apocalyptic action (Endgame), from hardcore pornography (Erotic Dreams) to historical erotica (The Convent of Sinners), D'Amato – born Aristide Massaccesi – rarely paused for breath. By the end of the 1990s, he was focusing heavily on exotic erotic features shot in and around Rome, often using standing sets, Sahara-like dunes, and Eastern costumes bought from theatrical warehouses.
One of his most curious late-career series was Queen of Elephants – a loose trilogy or set of standalone films exploiting the perennial male fantasy of powerful, sensual "queens" ruling over remote, unforgiving landscapes. The second chapter, often listed as Queen of Elephants 2: Sahara (original Italian title likely La regina degli elefanti 2 – Sahara, c. 1998–1999), is a prime example of D'Amato's ability to blend softcore sensuality, pseudo-ethnographic adventure, and pure cinematic escapism on a minuscule budget.
The adult film industry has been home to numerous directors who have left their mark on the world of cinema, pushing boundaries and exploring themes that are often considered taboo. Among these, Joe D'Amato stands out for his prolific career and the sheer volume of work he produced. One of his notable works, "Queen Of Elephants 2- Sahara -19," invites us to reflect on the themes, cinematography, and the director's vision that defined his career.
Joe D’Amato (born Aristide Massaccesi) is one of cinema’s most protean figures: prolific, controversial, and endlessly adaptable. Best known for low-budget genre work across horror, erotic thriller, and exploitation cinema, D’Amato developed both a recognizable visual shorthand and an instinct for maximizing shock, atmosphere, and marketability on tiny budgets. “Queen of Elephants 2: Sahara -19...” reads like a title scraped from the wildest corners of exploitation distribution catalogs—one of those intriguing, half-mythical entries that invite curiosity: is it a lost sequel, a miscataloged rarity, or an evocative pastiche that channels D’Amato’s obsessions?
This post examines the probable identity of such a title, teases apart its thematic DNA, and imagines how D’Amato might have built a film around that name—useful both for cinephiles tracing his filmography and for writers or filmmakers inspired by his methods.
The narrative is essentially a clothesline for the action set-pieces—and by "action," I mostly mean simulated sex scenes and people pointing guns at each other.
Set in the sun-scorched deserts of an unspecified North African location (likely filmed in Italy or a cheaper Mediterranean stand-in), the story follows a group of adventurers. Our heroes are on the run from bandits, corrupt officials, and rival treasure hunters. The goal? Survival, mostly.
D’Amato’s direction here is surprisingly competent in terms of lighting and framing. By 1995, he was a veteran, and he knew exactly how to shoot a scene to make it look glossy enough for the video store shelves. The pacing, however, is pure exploitation—alternating between tedious exposition and bursts of softcore erotica.
Auto-generates “composite fan edit map” – if someone wants to reconstruct Queen of Elephants 2, the tool tells which minute-mark from 3 different films to splice.
