L'Affaire

Vivid Entertainment

Genre: Feature

Director: Bo Edwards (Paul Thomas)

Cast: Nikki Loren, Evan Stone, Shy Love, Angelica Sin, Nick Manning, Savanna Samson, Julian, Justine Joli, Kayla Paige, Sommer Winds, Mackenzie Mack. Mercedes

Length: 80.5 minutes

Date of Production: 5/26/2004

Extra's: Savanna Samson fans will be happy to note that Vivid has changed their ways and provided the five bonus scenes with her in each of them. I personally view that as a breakthrough on their part since she's the reason people are going to buy the movie. I hope they show the intelligence to keep up this practice in other releases. There was also a fun 15.5 minute long Behind the Scenes feature by "Yo Mama" to enjoy that had some bloopers, deleted footage, and some of the direction that Paul gave the cast as they made the movie. The DVD also had the usual trailers, two photogalleries, positions room, biography of Savanna Samson, double sided DVD cover, and forced spam (I hate being forced to watch commercials for phone sex ads; does anyone actually call these things?).

Condoms: Yes

Audio/Video Quality: L'affaire was presented in high definition widescreen color, unlike most porn features are made these days. Most of the directors experimenting with high definition (at least porn directors) these days have had mixed results since they are still learning how to use the equipment to its full advantage and Paul Thomas is no exception. Given time, he'll likely be well ahead of the pack and he did manage to provide some nice footage here too (just not as technically perfect as it could've been). The colors were accurate, the fleshtones solid, and the amount of grain for the number of scenes filmed in the dark very low but it did have some minor issues with video noise and the like. The up side was that the darker scenes looked far better than most others shot by Vivid so this step forward is hopefully a sign of good things to come. The stereo English audio was reasonably decent with a bit of dynamic range and separation. The mix of vocals to music nicely done and the soundtrack a bit better than usual for Vivid.

Body of Review: Vivid has long been one of the most prolific companies in terms of making feature porn for couples. Using the number of contract gals and directors the company has at its disposal, Vivid has been able to promote porn in a number of non-traditional forums over the years, expanding the market rather than remain content with the limited niche the genre had achieved when the company came into existence twenty years ago. Their latest foray into the world of couples feature porn is L'affaire, a movie that showcases Vivid's contract hotty, Savanna Samson, as a housewife who decides to break free of her oppressive nature and finally explore what it means to enjoy sex. If this sounds like a rehash of a thousand other porno's, that's because it was but it was also well done with a lot to enjoy. If you enjoy this type of feature as much as seeing Savanna in action yet again, read the following breakdown of scenes by cast and action:

Scene One: Nikki, a hot brunette with killer curves and a delightful smile, was up first in a scene in a bed at night with the mighty Evan. I thought the two were really hot together and didn't need circus act sex to prove it as they did oral and straight with some of the passion typically missing in a Vivid feature. I also thought it was a brave thing to do by starting off with someone other than Savanna but that's more of an intellectual matter. Anyway, each of the duo did oral on the other and the scene looked far better than most scenes done at night; perhaps a testament to the High Definition equipment used to film the scene but it still had some grain. It ended when he jerked off on her abdomen although I'd have preferred she do it if this was needed at all. I thought the scene was very warm.

Scene Two: Shy and Angelica, a couple of curvy but cute brunettes, were up next in a scene with pretty boy Nick in a kitchen at night. The gals were double teaming him orally to start off but he returned the favor a bit too. The gals took turns taking his penis inside them, Shy taking the vaginal and Angelica doing more anal, with some solid mechanical screwing. There were times when it transcended the mechanics but most of the time I got the impression that they were going through the motions. It ended with a facial to their faces with him talking crap as usual.

Scene Three: Savanna, in a short masturbation sequence, diddled herself at night as she rubbed her pussy to full effect. It was tamer than usual for her but it fit the story and I can't say that watching her masturbate was a bad thing; just somewhat limited.

Scene Four: Savanna, having warmed herself up at the thought of having actual sex with a real man (her cheating boyfriend was Nick but Julian came to her rescue) in the last scene, she enjoyed the company of Julian after coming over to his place to cook him a meal as a reward. The real reward was, of course, sex since this is a porno after all, and it was well done. They engaged in some foreplay before the oral and straight sex in the darkened room. Savanna used both her hands to finish him off; something rarely seen in a Vivid feature, and I thought they had some nice chemistry together. From a couple porn standpoint, the scene was great but no one is going to reasonably argue that this was the best the two have done in the past (Julian's strongpoint these days is gonzo and Savanna is known as Vivid's bad girl: even advertising it on the front cover).

Scene Five: This scene was the famed orgy with a plethora of pussy on hand to satisfy the crowd. While much of it didn't truly classify as an orgy since they broke off in pairs (trios, or whatever), it was still a good scene with Savanna, Justine, Kayla, Sommer, Mackenzie, Mercedes, Shy, Evan, Julian, and maybe one more character (keeping track wasn't easy with the kind of editing used) all being used to good advantage in a large living room. It was playful and low stress with each of the cast seeming to take it easy and enjoy the ride rather than the sexually aggressive manner such orgies are usually displayed with. Savanna was the lead of the scene (of course) and fans will enjoy her here even though she was less extreme in this scene too. The pop shots ended the action and it felt a bit unfinished but I can't deny the appeal of the action.

Summary: L'affaire was a pleasant couples film worth a rating of Recommended for those wanting something more involved than the usual gonzo porn that has become so popular these days. The production values were a step forward for Vivid and the extras well done as well, making the level of fuck for the buck pretty good for fans of Savanna Samson. Her golden tresses, curvy body, and winning smile have long been enough to get me ready for action so a feature showcasing her like this one is well worth suggesting as an entry into adult. If Vivid manages to work out the kinks of the high definition equipment they're starting to use, I envision a lot of solid works in the future too. My fingers are crossed.

Note: You can see recent candid shots of several of these performers by visiting: My Photo's and read about their antics at 2004 AEE Show.