Joe D-amato - Queen Of Elephants 2- Sahara -19... May 2026

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.

Joe D'Amato, whose real name was Giuseppe D'Amato, was an Italian director known for his work in the erotic film genre. Born in 1936, D'Amato had a career that spanned several decades, during which he directed hundreds of films. His work often explored themes of eroticism, sometimes incorporating elements of fantasy and the exotic.

Queen of Elephants 2: Sahara is today a deep-cut obscurity. It never received a legitimate DVD release in English-speaking countries. Some German VHS tapes exist under the title Dschungel der Begierde 2 or Sahara – Die Rache der Elefantenkönigin. Italian VHS might be found as Colpo di sole nel Sahara or similar generic retitling. Online, it surfaces occasionally on private trackers or boutique streaming sites dedicated to vintage exploitation, often sourced from nth-generation VHS rips.

For scholars of Joe D'Amato, it's a minor but essential example of his late-career obsession with "one-location erotica." For fans, it's comfort food: no intellectual demands, just shapely bodies, warm sand, and a dirge-like synth score.

Critical rating (as per rare user reviews): ★★½ (two and a half stars) – "Enjoyable if you like sun-drenched softcore with silly costumes; drags in the middle; the belly dance scene is worth the price of admission."

"Alternate Title Mapper & Scene-Level Explorer" (for Cult Film Databases)

What makes Sahara fascinating to watch today is the vibe. This is 1995, yet the film feels like a relic from 1985. The fashion, the dubbing, the synthesized score—it’s a time capsule of a genre that had already died out in mainstream cinema.

The cast is comprised of the usual suspects from the Italian B-movie circuit. You aren't watching this for

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.

Joe D’Amato films often have 5–10 alternate titles (Queen of the Elephants could be a re-cut of Sahara or Violence in a Women’s Prison etc.). Fans looking for “Queen of Elephants 2 – Sahara” might find nothing, yet the footage exists under another name. No tool currently maps scene-by-scene across different edits.

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. Joe D-Amato - Queen Of Elephants 2- Sahara -19...

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.

Critical Review: Joe D’Amato’s Commonly known by its alternate title, Queen of Elephants Part 2: Sahara

, this 1998 Italian production marks a specific chapter in the late-career output of director Joe D’Amato. Despite the "Part 2" marketing, the film is not a narrative sequel to La regina degli elefanti

(1997); it features the same primary cast playing entirely different characters. Production Background Joe D'Amato (pseudonym for Aristide Massaccesi). Screenwriter: Donatella Donati (credited as Donna Dane). Production Company: In-X-Cess International Eros. Release Year: 1998 (often associated with 1997/1996 production cycles). Filming Locations: Shot primarily in

, utilizing the desert landscapes for its North African setting. Core Cast and Characters

The film features a "who's who" of 1990s adult cinema performers, often presented in exoticized roles:

Leading actress, credited as a "blonde" during this phase of her career. Zenza Raggi: Stars as Karim. Amanda Steele: Stars as Mora (credited as Erika Lindauer). John Walton: Stars as Abdul. Frank Gun: Stars as Ali. Narrative Analysis

The plot serves as a loose framework for the film's adult sequences. Two wealthy businessmen travel to

with the intent to purchase a leather company. Upon arrival, they are "treated to all sorts of exotic delights," which includes social and sexual encounters within a solitary house located in an oasis. Critics from Letterboxd note several characteristic D'Amato traits in this work: Sahara - Wikidata By the mid-to-late 1990s, Italian filmmaker Joe D'Amato

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.

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. Joe D’Amato films often have 5–10 alternate titles

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 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:

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)

"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.