In many ways this episode of The Red Shoe Diaries, a Showtime show from 1992-1999, reminds me of a soap opera with its themes of lust, glamor, betrayal, suicide, voyeurism and loneliness. It also reminds me of a sexy romance novel with its erotic, soft porn scenes and a gorgeous, hunky guy on the cover. If you love either one, you are guaranteed to go crazy for The Red Shoe Diaries. They are more geared towards such an audience, the romantic, modern type, but that doesn’t mean trashiness or smut will be tolerated by Zalman King, director, producer or screenwriter for much of it.

David Duchovny (X Files, Return To Me) was the only name actor and couldn’t have had five minutes of screen time. He plays Jake Winter who lost his faithless fiancée and tries to heal his wounds by placing an ad asking for stories of betrayal that may help him understand his fiancee’s promiscuity.

He calls himself ‘Red Shoe,’ hoping to put together a book filled with the stories that he’ll pay well for. Accompanying him while he reads and comments briefly on three stories here, or diary entries, is a happy dog who shall remain nameless (I didn’t catch the name like I didn’t many of the characters). The first entry, Strip Poker, concerns a nymph-like blonde alone at a resort because her partner has been delayed by business. She’s supposed to have patience, his card on the roses says, but she observes a beautiful couple in the throes of passion across the courtyard and her voyeurism takes her eventually out of her safe bedroom into exhibitionism.

The second entry, Hard Labor, offers a romance between a GQ-like male model and a female fashion designer would you say? They seem so gloriously happy doing the jeans ad for TV, but when the celebratory party ends with his former lover (psycho blonde) killing herself, the designer freaks and gives him his papers. Two years later he returns to see if she can still resist his pretty face.

In ‘Slow Train,’ the last entry, a Depression era story begs our sympathy for a penniless and starving woman who boards a slow train. She watches a woman earn a dollar by sleeping with a man and so she decides to let a man take pictures of her scantily clad and then naked. The drunk photographer repulses her, making her hightail it to the passing train where a longhaired dreamer seduces her with his crazy ideas and then she seduces him.

Only 87 minutes, these Red Shoe stories have photography, voyeurism and exhibitionism in common besides very attractive women and men (sound familiar, tbthorn?). I can’t help but wonder if the stories could have helped heal Jake’s broken heart or just kept it festering. In the first story he learns that women cannot be patient because they need to be more than voyeurs, but uninhibited participants in life. In the second, that women will kill themselves over an old love and forgive the louses if they’re really sexy. The third shows that men can be forgiving of a woman’s past mistakes, but after making love she’ll leave him. Hmmm...

Were the stories interesting at least? Somewhat. I was pretty bored with ‘Strip Poker’ that was mostly silent as the blonde snapped pictures of lovers and then observed the couple and a female friend on the beach. ‘Hard Labor,’ the longest story of the three, had a little more depth to it. Antonio and the designer what’s-her-name did talk quite a little and there was lots of glamor as models danced or soft shoed for the camera. The third one had a country twang and setting to it, was not glamorous at all, but more talky. I didn’t have any sympathy for her after she agreed to model in ‘wh*re’s clothes.’

Then was the sex a turn-on? Well, Antonio was extremely easy to look at no matter what he was doing or wearing! He must be a millionaire if he’s allowed himself to grace book covers and make porn movies, too. I don’t know if he has, but he should. The guys in the first story were Russian and just okay, but they really pulled them out of the sewer for the character-sketch third story.

Anyway, the sex position was mostly missionary style, lots of lip and breast kissing, but no male nipple, body or penis kissing at all! Couldn’t they have been original just once and shown a woman doing something sexy besides kiss and ride? A kinkier position maybe? I suppose it ties in with the voyeur theme, but that’s not my thrill on blueberry hill. Give me a real love scene where the woman orally stimulates the man to climax and I’ll be turned on, hehe.

I haven’t watched the other twenty or so episodes of The Red Shoe Diaries, but I have the Swimming Naked episode waiting for me later today, which was also released in 2000. I’m keeping an open mind about it, hoping it’s better than Strip Poker. One thing to look forward to, though, is the snazzy music. In the first two stories it was as elegant and seductive as the characters themselves. The stories were held together by the presence of the electrifying melodies, sort of like Music TV. ‘Slow Train’ had more poignant beauty, even one with a female singing.

So it’s visually and auditorially gorgeous, but not too original or exciting in plot or sex. The acting by the slow-motion psycho blonde who committed suicide was excruciating, but the rest lived up to expectations for such a romance novel-type movie. Don’t watch it for Duchovny’s miniscule role; he’s just window dressing. Watch it for Antonio or the many buxom ladies who disrobe (if you’re like JackSommersby!).

Sure wish I'd found Puppetry of the Penis!

Please check out the other participants in Trick or Treat/Feel the Heat W/O hosted by the wonderful tbhorn and kristinafh. Sorry I'm late, guys!

kristinafh (co-host) * xxxxer * jo.com * grovespirit * macresarf1 * shadow8 * tbrown * lynus * charles_tatum * 4-1-1 * artbyjude



Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age