. Released during the late-90s boom of high-budget Euro-adult cinema, the film stars top-tier industry icons Selen and Zenza Raggi , transporting audiences to Morocco for a tale of corporate acquisition intertwined with extreme carnal indulgence.
Why this suits D’Amato The imagined film channels D’Amato’s propensity for genre-mixing, his resourceful filmmaking on constrained budgets, and his interest in narratives that blend eroticism, violence, and exoticism. Its combination of mythic figures, stark landscapes, and moral ambiguity reflects recurring motifs across his work, recontextualized here into an ecological-adventure framework that feels both retro and prescient.
The man was a cinematic chameleon. He dabbled in horror (the infamous Beyond the Darkness ), post-apocalyptic action ( Endgame ), and hardcore porn, often blurring the lines between all three. But in the mid-90s, D’Amato turned his gaze toward the adventure genre—or at least, his version of it. The result was a string of exotic, softcore adventure epics that tried to ride the coattails of Indiana Jones but with a fraction of the budget and a surplus of nudity. Joe D-Amato - Queen Of Elephants 2- Sahara -19...
Before diving into these films, it's essential to understand the man behind the camera. Born Aristide Massaccesi, Joe D'Amato (1936-1999) was one of the most prolific figures in Italian cinema, directing, producing, and shooting over 200 films across genres as varied as horror, spaghetti western, peplum, and erotic thrillers. He is best known for his horror classics like Beyond the Darkness and Antropophagus , as well as his long-running Black Emanuelle series starring Laura Gemser.
Set Pieces and Notable Scenes
(pseudonym for Donatella Donati), the film was shot on location in
: 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. Its combination of mythic figures, stark landscapes, and
"Queen of Elephants 2: Sahara -19" reads like a title from the kind of pulpy, exploitation-adjacent catalogue that would fit within D’Amato’s oeuvre: an evocative mix of exotic adventure, borderline surreal spectacle, and lurid sensationalism. Although no widely documented film by D’Amato exactly titled "Queen of Elephants 2: Sahara -19" exists in mainstream filmographies, the phrase evokes several recurring elements of his work and the era he worked in. Below is a complete, imaginative text that treats the title as a lost/imagined D’Amato production — a pastiche honoring his style, themes, and the grindhouse spirit he often embodied.
The film features a "who's who" of 1990s adult cinema performers, often presented in exoticized roles: But in the mid-90s, D’Amato turned his gaze
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)