In this chapter, the narrative likely begins in a North African colonial-era outpost (or modern tourist-trap oasis) where our protagonist hears whispers of the Queen. After hiring untrustworthy local guides, crossing endless dunes, and surviving a sandstorm, they reach a hidden valley or a palatial fortress carved into a rock. There, the Queen – played by a statuesque Eastern European or Italian actress of the period – presides over a harem-like court. Conflicts arise: the Queen tests the newcomer's loyalty, sexual taboos are broken, and rival desert warlords threaten the kingdom. By the end, the hero or heroine must decide between returning to civilization or remaining in this erotic paradise.
Moreover, the "elephant" motif, while barely visible in the sequel (budget constraints likely meant stock footage of elephants from an earlier documentary), serves as a symbol of memory, strength, and matriarchy – fitting for the Queen figure. 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.
Queen of Elephants 2: Sahara belongs to a subgenre of "desert erotica" that includes earlier films like The Sheik (1921) with Rudolph Valentino, The Desert Fox (erotic remakes), and D'Amato's own The Desert of the Damned (1991-ish?). By setting his story in North Africa, he tapped into European colonial nostalgia and timeless exoticism, safe from modern political correctness. Joe D-Amato - Queen Of Elephants 2- Sahara -19...
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." To watch Joe D'Amato's Queen of Elephants 2: Sahara today is to glimpse a cinematic world that has vanished – a micro-genre where European directors could film mostly naked women in pseudo-Arabic palaces without irony or apology. It’s not great art, but it is pure D'Amato: resourceful, titillating, and strangely sincere in its pursuit of fantasy. For completists of Italian exploitation, tracking down this sandy relic is a rite of passage. For casual viewers, imagine a fever dream where I Dream of Jeannie meets Caligula – and you're halfway there.
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. While exact continuity between Queen of Elephants (1997?) and its sequel is loose, Queen of Elephants 2: Sahara follows a recognizable D'Amato formula: a foreign explorer or journalist (often a female protagonist or a male adventurer with a female partner) ventures deep into Saharan territory searching for a legendary "Elephant Queen" – a mysterious, powerful ruler who commands both nature and the desires of her subjects. In this chapter, the narrative likely begins in
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.
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. Conflicts arise: the Queen tests the newcomer's loyalty,
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. Introduction: The Sultan of Sleaze Returns to North Africa 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.