As compiled across cinema tracking databases like The Movie Database (TMDB) and IMDb , the core creative structure behind the project includes: Joe D'Amato Screenwriter: Donna Dane Release Year: 1998 Runtime: 1 hour, 33 minutes Key Cast Members: Zenza Raggi as Karim John Walton as Abdul Amanda Steel as Mora Frank Gun as Ali Selen (Luce Caponegro) as Blondy (uncredited) Joe D'Amato's Late-Career Aesthetic
(1998), often marketed as , is an erotic adventure directed by the prolific Italian filmmaker Joe D'Amato . While some DVD releases title it as a sequel to the 1997 film La regina degli elefanti , it is largely a standalone feature. Film Overview Original Title: Sahara (released on video in 1998). Director: Joe D'Amato (Aristide Massaccesi).
Once they arrive, business quickly takes a back seat to pleasure. The foreign investors are swept up by local hosts and treated to an array of highly charged, exotic delights, shifting the film into a series of deeply erotic encounters set against lavish backdrops. Production Data and Cast Credits Joe D-Amato - Queen Of Elephants 2- Sahara -19...
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.
Joe D'Amato—the pseudonym for Italian filmmaking chameleon Aristide Massaccesi—is a name synonymous with exploitation cinema, spanning horror, sci-fi, and eroticism. Towards the end of his prolific career, D'Amato shifted heavily into direct-to-video erotic features, often blending lush, tropical locations with absurd scenarios. As compiled across cinema tracking databases like The
The late-1990s adult film —frequently marketed internationally under the alternate title Queen of Elephants Part 2: Sahara —stands as a prime example of legendary Italian director Joe D'Amato's late-career style. Shot during the twilight of D'Amato's highly prolific career, this exotic production blends eroticism with travelogue elements. Despite its deceptive marketing as a direct sequel to his 1997 film La regina degli elefanti ( Queen of the Elephants ), Sahara is a completely standalone narrative featuring an entirely distinct storyline set in North Africa.
The plot is a direct, hardcore reimagining of the classic Tarzan story. In an interview, D'Amato himself described it as "a hardcore version of Greystoke but with a beautiful blonde being the one lost in the jungle". A young woman, Jenny Mallory (played by Selen), is raised by elephants in the African wilderness after a plane crash. Years later, her relatives find her and bring her back to their aristocratic estate in Scotland, where she struggles to adapt to the trappings of civilized society. Director: Joe D'Amato (Aristide Massaccesi)
Filmed on location with an international cast including Selen and Zenza Raggi , the movie serves as a spiritual successor to his 1997 film La regina degli elefanti ( Queen of the Elephants ). Despite marketing titles pairing them together, the 1998 sequel pivots from a Tarzan-esque jungle narrative into an exotic, business-and-pleasure travelogue set against the background of North African culture. The Evolution of the "Queen of Elephants" Duology
In the 1990s, D'Amato pivoted heavily into high-budget, hardcore adult features. He frequently utilized exotic global backdrops, period-piece costumes, or literary parodies to elevate standard adult content into sweeping, narrative-driven features. Sahara serves as a quintessential product of this era. It highlights his signature technique of pulling double duty as both the film's director and its Director of Photography. The Illusion of a Sequel: Marketing vs. Reality
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
The film titled (1998)—often marketed under the English DVD title Queen of Elephants Part 2: Sahara