Passion In The Desert (1998) **

An unusual love affair between a French soldier lost in the Sahara desert, and a beautiful leopard. Loosely based upon an obscure short story by Honore de Balzac, it's a conradian tale of western rationalism seduced by noble savagery and exotic mystery. Magnificent desert landscapes, sand storms and lovers promising their return - imagine Kristin Scott Thomas as a four-legged feline wrapped in furs, and you've got yourself a sequel to "The English Patient".