Savannah: Up Close & Personal Review

Reviewed by fu_q  on  7/11/2014

Intro / Background:
Twenty years ago today, one of the brightest-burning stars in the history of adult entertainment, Savannah, was suddenly extinguished and ripped from the grip of this earthly realm far before her time. A picture-perfect blonde beauty if ever there were one, her stunning good looks and contradictory combination of bubbly innocence and sultry sexuality propelled her to the top of the industry at a rocket's pace. Indeed, so vast was her popularity that her untimely demise warranted lengthy articles in publications like Rolling Stone magazine and the L.A. Times. While the ultimate cause of her fateful decision to take her own life after a car accident in July of 1994 will likely remain a source of unresolved debate, it is the intent of this review to focus in solely upon the good and to celebrate her body of work in adult fare. It is this body of work that garnered her a multitude of adoring fans, and it is this body of work that will serve as a reminder to them all of the great loss incurred upon her unfortunate passing two decades ago. In so doing, "Savannah: Up Close and Personal", a 2002 compilation from Vivid Video, shall be the subject of this review. Presenting the young starlet in twelve scenes, some of them among her best, this release is an exceptional way for both new and old fans alike to commemorate this undeniably striking performer of yesteryear. To be certain, Savannah's blonde star will burn forever bright in the hearts of her fans. As long as they exist and remember, so does she.


The film itself:
In terms of the sex, Scene One offers up not only the blonde beauty of the era, Savannah, but also her fellow goddess, the slender near-perfect brunette, Racquel Darrian. While this one is all softcore, featuring the two ladies in steamy, inter-cut striptease and masturbation sequences upon a smoky stage, it is still simply scorching. It's difficult to put into words the raw and seductive beauty on display here, but, suffice it to say, it won't be a let down and is the ideal intro sequence to this flick.

In Scene Two, Savannah is up again, this time in a black, zip-up, leather miniskirt on a set meant to resemble a worksite. There with her is her equally-blonde construction dude, both of them donning the classic, workmen's hard hats. Of course, the hats don't stay on for very long--nor do Savannah's clothes--and it's in no time flat that her extraordinary figure is fully on display. This all turns out to be simply too much for her partner to bear, and a he-said/she-said oral encounter--capped off with a quickie fuck in a couple of positions--closes out this erotic encounter. As with the first segment, this one is short, but it's hot as fuck. (The only real downside, other than the length, is that the audio appears to be overdubbed...which is never fun.)

Scene Three comes from the early-90s Vivid release, "Sinderella" (...if memory serves correctly...), and pairs up its unwitting heroine, Savannah, and a young TT Boy. Taking place upon a blanket in a secluded, grassy spot in the wilderness, this one is soft and sensual (...something of a rarity for those familiar with Boy's other work...) and involves the duo pleasuring one another orally and vaginally. This all-nude affair culminates with a pop on Savannah's chin. Very good.

Up next in Scene Four is another sequence from "Sinderella" (...again, if memory serves...) and couples Savannah with Joey Silvera, her step-mother's boyfriend (...again, memory...) in a medieval bedroom. This time, the nubile blonde beauty finds herself in a flimsy white garment and puffy white cap, both mimicking the intended era of the production. Regardless of her attire, she is still a stunner, and it's no wonder that Mr. Silvera can't wait to get her...all of her...in his pervy clutches. He spends a good deal of this too-short sequence worshipping the starlet's creamy frame (...hard to blame him...) and then gives her a dose of the ole in-n-out to boot. This overall-good scene closes out with Joey squirting a load on her backside. (Save the music overdubbing, this one is strong enough.)

Scene Five finds Savannah nude on a sofa between Jon Dough (...another story with a tragic ending...) and adult industry legend, Jeanna Fine. Dough eats Savannah's pretty, blonde box a bit, while Ms. Fine fondles her bountiful breasts. A cut has Savannah standing, fingering herself, for Dough's viewing pleasure as he receives a scorching blowjob / hand-job combo from Jeanna. There's a brief, background cameo by Christy Canyon partway through, which must have something to do with the plot of the film from which this sequence originated, and it doesn't take long for Savannah to join Ms. Fine in her oral endeavors. Ultimately, Jon pounds both lovelies, and Jeanna jerks him to a climax, with some of his goop splashing out onto Savannah's eager face and tongue. Some cummy-kissing between the ladies finishes off this smoldering-hot fuck. What a perfect mix of seduction, beauty, and sex. Nice!

In Scene Six, Savannah takes on Micky Ray in an office setting featuring a certificate-adorned brick wall and an American flag. She's looking utterly incredible here in her sheer, black outfit and thong, and it's no wonder that Micky's readily seduced. Within moments, he has her out of her attire, and he has his cock in her mouth. A dirty, desk-top romp rolls out, with both participants into the action. Micky sprays Savannah's back and backside with cum in closing out this sultry sequence. Hot!

Scene Seven offers up Savannah with none other than Peter North for an oral and vaginal affair in a room with a sunlit, glass-bricked wall as its backdrop. Her outfit here can only be described as that of a pink- and white-themed southern belle, with plenty of the lace but without any of the cover up. Needless to say, Savannah's ravishing. Some oral action kicks the festivities off, before Peter spreads her wide with his massive cock for a sexy pounding. He glazes her bum with a load in capping off this less-than-proper, but oh-so-good, sequence.

In Scene Eight, Tom Byron, playing the part of a nerdy, metal-head dirt-bag, works his way into Savannah's heart. As the only person who truly "likes her", she asks him for a kiss. Of course, the kissing evolves into much more, and it isn't long before she's out of her black-and-white miniskirt ensemble, her gorgeous form on display. A good oral and vaginal fuck follows, with Tom (...apparently...) unloading into his condom while inside her (...no actual evidence of a pop).

Scene Nine has Savannah and fellow superstar (...and former Playboy Playmate...), Teri Weigel, in the ring for some topless boxing. The two battling beauties "fight" it out for a couple of rounds, but when Savannah knocks her opponent to the ground and races over to help her, the duke-out quickly turns into a dyke-out. Immediately, Teri's red shorts become a thing of the past, and--shortly thereafter--so do Savannah's blue ones. A quim-eating contest ensues, with the ladies ultimately getting in some 69ing and also making interesting use of the ring's ropes on occasion. Any time women of these two's caliber are brought together, it's a strong scene--and this one is no exception--but it would have been nice had the sound not been muted by overdubbed music. Still hot!

In Scene Ten, Marc Wallace finds Savannah, clad in a translucent full-length summer dress sans panties, out on a secluded deck overlooking the ocean. He makes his way over to her and, taken by her beauty, immediately begins to kiss and caress her. His kisses move to her nether-regions, and--after the action transitions inland a bit--she returns the favor. A seductive and sexy oral and vaginal affair follows and ultimately climaxes with a climax on Savannah's tummy and chest. Good stuff.

Scene Eleven jumps right into things with Tianna, who's both the original Buttwoman and also clad in a leopard-spotted thong bikini here, and Savannah, who's gorgeous in her black and white polka-dotted bikini and black knee-high boots. The two lez it up in front of the iron, street-side security gate of a mansion, with Savannah's bottoms hitting the floor and Tianna going to work on her as she's perched mid-climb upon the gate. A cut brings the festivities poolside--and later to a brick staircase--and the good times continue. It's fingers, tongues, and a black dildo (for Tianna) in this soft, though still good, sequence.

In Scene Twelve, Savannah and a young Randy Spears find themselves making out upon a dark green bed in a bedroom. Savannah, as always, is looking great...this time in an elegant, light-yellow top and shorts set. The duo gets down to business, and about halfway through this ~15 minute segment, Randy's dick ends up in her mouth. A good, sensual, oral and vaginal encounter ensues and ultimately finishes off with a load on Savannah's tummy. How sweet.

Bonus-wise, there's a BTS from another production, and there's a multiple-angle, POV blowjob scene featuring Brittany Blue. The latter was from back when the whole "multi-angle DVD" phenomenon was going to be the "next big thing" (...never really materialized). There's also a "Photo Gallery" slideshow of the (then-)Vivid Girls, four trailers, some phone sex ads and a website ad, and three bonus sequences (a Cheyenne Silver boy/girl from "Extreme Close Up Cheyenne", a boy/girl anal featuring Nannes Beaumont from "Make Up", and a Taylor St. Claire boy/girl anal from "Watcher 12"). For the time period, this isn't a bad set of extras at all.

In all, this is a fitting collection of Savannah's work in the adult industry. While all of her exceptional releases aren't represented here, many of them are, and both new and old fans alike will enjoy this taste of the superstar who took the early-90's porn (...and rock, but that's a different story...) scene by storm. Twenty years (to the day) after her passing, her work still stands out above the crowd and her star still burns brightly in the hearts of her fans. Gone but not forgotten... Always missed.


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