0 c. I% I ?' c J/ a我看,宝碧人很“加州”。进一步说,整个色情电影业都有点“很加州”的意思。有执著的热情、反叛的心态,还有一点点自由主义者反抗压力的顽强。" F9 d& a! M7 g/ K5 a. L# D# n
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1980年代,官司一直打到高等法院,色情电影在加州才得到了合法化的地位,正式与普通意义上的嫖娼卖淫划清了界限。) K t4 E- B/ E4 ~2 {+ y
不戴安全套的权利4 ^2 r, C9 W; v P6 a0 n) e
) t* I, U& x+ J7 D现在,我遇到的许多人都说,不戴安全套的权利是宪法赋予的言论自由权利的一个关键部分,正如美国的立国之父指出的那样。 , ]+ b6 E. ?8 e & a, A: v& N5 `! q2 a. h一名制片人告诉我,“如果你把我的演员都装在橡胶里面,作为艺术家,我还能怎样表述自我呢”? 8 a( P& U3 q0 V3 S. H( C' N: m) {2 S. S0 t( ~
我很难想象,法兰克林和杰弗逊起草《第一修正案》的时候,想到过戴不戴安全套的权利。 ; _# f1 c5 G G) ^! V- A7 X u$ }/ Q) V; {
但是,我也很难想象,《星际迷航》的粉丝们排着长队去看皮克船长和“进取号”的船员们真刀真枪地“肉搏”。所以,我算老几呢?' t. \) u/ b$ J3 | Z! ]
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但是,当局非常坚决。建筑工人必须戴头盔,矿工必须戴口罩,色情演员也必须有适当的保护。 |2 F0 R+ ?. b( b9 L
6 r$ g2 q3 T8 e. E6 K3 ]3 M3 y9 I6 [和加州的立法人对阵,色情电影业最终很有可能打败仗。除了罚款,色情电影业也面临着一些前任演员们提出的代价昂贵的法律诉讼。' V7 m M+ c2 j, u4 f7 B6 ^
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一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。 / x# X$ l0 j* G. [ ]5 { 1 O- a3 ^+ H4 ]0 p3 W制片人说,这对雇员没有任何好处,只会迫使制片公司搬到海外、或者转移到地下去拍片。观众想看的,就一定能看得到。1 ~5 e3 d& c% P9 N# B& r* E
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宝碧也有同感。事实上,这也正是她开始脱衣服、准备开拍性爱场面之前说的告别词。5 K0 d: A d2 i5 M
' a' ?- {" y O: |! c8 O我想,我看的已经够多了。我悄悄地离开拍摄现场,重新回到淅淅沥沥的小雨中…….) R- n k+ P' j
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Q6 O2 H; x1 J. O) S- QCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles ! n6 O% s2 R& z) N$ n 6 f% C) t( ~$ k( \+ m1 S; ]California's adult movie business is under pressure - internet piracy and the economic downturn have slashed revenues, while state regulators seem set to win their long battle to make actors wear condoms.( N* W+ W2 T8 I" {5 D9 @# P$ J0 d
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Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.7 ]# f% d0 W- ?2 d, ~' q
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I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.8 T- V; X9 p# b0 _+ `. t) S' G
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What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.# \) R. V# f8 [& u
3 n+ F& m j2 ?5 [The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.. \1 u+ h- T3 d0 Z- L0 Z$ |
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Performers in body-hugging Star Trek outfits, some with prosthetic noses to resemble aliens, wandered around looking slightly bored as a weary crew worried over lighting arrangements.6 z9 e6 i) W5 |' Z6 F
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This morning was devoted to dialogue, I was told, although - as Sam, the film's artistically minded writer-director, explained to me with clear regret - there was not too much of that to be had. ) O" v$ h: ?! F& T% D4 e 0 |* z5 S* C% f- `; Q1 p8 s' aOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. ! M% d, f$ O- l2 a% Z# e; n" H7 E% \" g2 W$ ~" s- T
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The demands of porn may not allow Sam to be the groundbreaking film-maker he clearly aspires to be, but at least there are films to be made.- {7 J( e- H: A5 G9 }6 s) @8 _
$ r# f1 N9 b1 B6 F5 `4 F! LThe problem, increasingly, is revenue. 6 Z, u; f8 u2 r+ A( b4 L0 d; n* I# |6 k- r7 R+ l7 `1 a% o1 H
Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. & q" R& K1 q$ f( x' y* E$ d a6 t4 M# t
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. # x J! u, R9 K" l0 B$ _1 S3 _% X, d 7 [* K) c7 E" P5 ^4 vAnd the economic downturn does not help.1 n( I! |9 ?: m& X2 g8 P! a
6 R/ o8 g! U7 a6 R+ K+ a! ]"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully." v# _) b) {5 u8 K: K4 s
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The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. ( U/ }1 A, J* U3 X " }) G' {) W% _: XFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. " ?$ t" Y& ]& x) k' D8 t % Y. \2 E6 T% U! r. f; rHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.6 r! y" A6 x9 Q5 Z3 f. G
) O1 Q; p! x* J% ?# ^7 q& ABut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say. ; S' Z [0 T: ?" f% r& A% e' S5 j/ n) l3 M+ s+ J8 I- Z
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+ `( p% k. N+ y/ vBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. ( I! d# D3 J6 r' \ l( Y% L a- S' U9 ?3 }" c" I2 iA college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.2 l; ~, w& U: x# D6 E% S3 s
+ `$ o- f1 p0 q* H& U9 G1 |She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure./ A' R/ A: v0 A n+ e1 g2 r
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"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" ^. P. w9 h: I: `9 P
3 m# Y/ K3 F# j9 F- B1 u" oHer packed schedule today involved a couple of lines, then a four-hour sex scene. Then a costume fitting on Tuesday and she was off to have her monthly health test after that. 6 D$ o( c4 `$ r% k( t/ \# E1 P# V' E4 a3 V, g; \7 H: U
Each day would be 15 hours long. ( o; V; z c1 I* t+ M' k: H4 X 6 k2 \0 e/ `) o$ [+ n6 g- e W- i"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.2 t" j9 `3 w: u% C
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"You get used to it," she smiled. 4 b) ?( s$ `) T$ v# W* `' B0 S8 @* ?
"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" ) S% c7 j6 F( m8 |: u5 j# C$ G- a R1 F o M5 B
"Well, just chlamydia a couple of times, gonorrhoea - nothing much. Anyway, we test each month so, when you're diagnosed, you just take your medication and you're good to go. No problem."3 ~8 `) E3 x2 d2 U) Z
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There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.3 o2 N: n% f7 k" F1 V
2 n4 M9 R P- dExpensive lawsuits : Y, ^0 _# Q. ^" B+ [5 |( M3 ~2 y6 b; r: p+ a( L: A' n; Q8 }: V4 r
In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.4 H6 Z, {7 `: j7 F- S y4 ~
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A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. ( T' g* W+ T, f6 x- U' G4 i) E k! I$ s
It had taken a Supreme Court battle back in the 1980s to make porn legal in California in the first place, formally distinguishing it from common-or-garden prostitution.) E1 z9 K5 c4 Y5 ~/ t7 W2 x
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Now, many I met spoke of the right not to wear condoms as a key aspect of their constitutional right to free speech, as set out by the Founding Fathers. . W( @" q0 l! b8 Q, _; X; | r( z 7 x$ n; S# f' @5 U* r8 f"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"( G8 c, j% N9 y
$ z* v/ A5 x; b7 M/ g- FI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. - E% @! Y$ t1 g8 n" X& |, M/ T4 F" }1 d4 S+ v5 B
But then I also struggled to picture hordes of Star Trek fans queuing up to see Captain Jean-Luc Picard going hard-core with the crew of the Star Trek Enterprise. So what did I know?0 n4 u- ?+ i* n
) F' t2 s4 c5 A, M$ B6 fThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. 8 E2 O4 X8 G5 j( n$ z" {1 L * d8 B# {# p& U# Q, m: NIt seems likely that porn will eventually lose its battle against the California regulators, not least because - as well as state penalties - the industry could be about to face some very expensive lawsuits brought by former performers. # `4 f; G9 G: w4 p" T7 M5 V3 }; N$ y @
A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.1 T( R8 M7 H9 ?' V6 o
1 m: m! S& O2 bThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.6 V# e, P; z3 Q8 {& u1 W' z& w
b/ C- ]/ t8 [ f5 pThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.! h% @ L9 [1 C% W/ F
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I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.; s. v6 `3 q& c2 i0 U% G
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Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004