5 S, {1 ^+ Y6 W3 B演员健康受损害的案例中最著名的一起是在2004年,三名演员感染上艾滋病毒。这凸现出演员中交叉感染十分严重。 # ~ V6 S9 b5 Y4 Q9 c' r* S) q( w5 l. Y8 V) r
但是,电影业坚持说,演员带安全套会扫观众的兴。他们说,观众不愿意看,安全套等于扼杀观众的幻想。 2 N; K( \# \; ]& X, M' j“没什么大不了的”2 L4 O" T s: W6 ?5 _
- c( O) l2 w' j2 b% X( | f重返《星际迷航》的拍摄现场,我和主要演员之一宝碧·斯塔尔聊了起来。宝碧是大学毕业生,以前是国家级游泳运动员,专业的双簧管手。短短的27年,她的一生真可是阅历丰富。 ; i7 E7 Y( n9 Q% J- r8 q/ b0 j' h. A: |3 D
宝碧说,改行做色情电影演员,主要是为了追求性探险。她说,“这是找乐趣。身边的人都高高兴兴,你有什么可烦的呢”? " | g4 A' O9 ^" ~! n8 k0 {/ N ! \% l) C9 o" J8 @# Q* P3 o当天,她的日程安排得很紧凑,两句台词,四小时的性爱。星期二试装,然后就去接受每月一次的体检。宝碧每一天都要工作15个小时。$ ], L& A9 c4 d }
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我说,“你一定很累吧”?她微笑着回答说,“习惯了”。3 S1 {3 q$ I" y9 J- e; _, I
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我接着问,“那么,健康风险呢?你经常被感染吗”?9 z7 ~8 L! D! d/ d, ~
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她说,“也就是染上过一两次衣原体,还有淋病,除此之外,没什么大不了的。我们每个月都体检,得了病,赶紧吃药,然后就又能回去上班了。没问题。”, X1 K/ Q2 K" y4 I4 o M6 P- ^
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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。 " C5 z0 K. w( c" Z9 ^& ] R# Z* n* O1 k) ^& Q* V9 S) U
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。! L' }& ?9 |( W% n- `& N2 }
不戴安全套的权利 3 R. N* ~: M5 g7 e% U; D2 Q+ p. A 0 E# W# {4 l* J% N1 ^, 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。& j3 h/ @* C' C+ {. n$ D4 a2 ?6 Q
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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”? 0 r( Y$ ~; G. X+ [& F' [, j, [! H4 F6 e4 a
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。" n. Y: o& N5 r) y& w( @
, o% i* t; v+ y+ |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?, w" P* B% u/ C$ ?
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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。$ d4 `; U. y) P+ ?
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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。: d B, z/ [( C3 w1 C
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一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。 2 O5 Q( {" @% ?/ z8 E+ U m , B5 p* A' f7 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。* T1 C; I; l7 S) H8 O" X
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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。 - U2 e6 @6 e2 U % c! t) ~: W9 ?$ d" P/ @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…….7 j+ C. p$ p8 `' [2 d' X! [" T+ l
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4 J# n7 Z+ z fCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 0 R& z1 @7 s9 o. B 0 P1 R: M2 p( W0 Q! q1 U. |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. `4 j" t# F# g- U
3 d% k; \: B. q, y: }Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.) c6 j. m7 ]: T
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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.( M; P& G2 j, _2 R- D% D
; e7 n0 d. `6 I1 e1 LWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. # w. U, Y, p3 D7 {7 o2 h( _, q$ T. U- w C! {2 R& x
The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. ! D- W' b$ h4 w6 D1 n1 s& c% ~! o( k: k5 L& e$ e
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. ) |4 b. T9 {" Z8 u) W/ L9 E - T% u8 ^' r# ?: v: Q* GThis 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. $ K" h6 z3 D& O' [, h7 v6 w! d # }) C7 B+ O3 LOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.( K" _$ {( |4 p& V- C1 W8 Y- l
- X! B4 \* j! ?5 ~' ^% }+ v% QFantasy ~9 p! _/ c7 m* U4 l
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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. : y% C& I- V' a- U7 A- q; H9 C% z) r* R
The problem, increasingly, is revenue.; t# r6 N& A b( g: I
3 N+ K |8 G/ q G; \; R. `1 o5 h A: HLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.# C4 ]. {/ J; Z; p, b- Q8 }# [+ `4 b" Q) V
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DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. % n0 }( l' @4 |' N5 Z7 T' {" R1 b. g y7 r' D. n
And the economic downturn does not help. $ T* {! R, u) y$ C- y" Z2 K% a' [6 A2 c0 i4 t
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. ) u8 O) a" B _$ _8 ] 0 [5 ~# E9 x; L$ n) e# {& WThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.! ^3 t+ W4 a" k' v0 Z2 Q* w2 W _2 U1 \
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For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.% r; ^' G5 }: j6 ?
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Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.& M5 b0 ]% T+ o- @
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But the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say.5 s) @# @% Q% f, V7 @) U& X
( Q# N" ?3 d" x& \$ K4 t/ I/ GGonorrhoea + m* P% Q# ^5 F7 z" F6 I1 F1 X+ ^5 B, F5 Z
Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. 1 J0 e, Z7 r$ o9 ^ ! l( F- g2 x) l% q) J0 n8 MA college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. t, ~0 @* v, a1 `. k" s- P* y; F0 S' G* B+ V
She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. 6 c4 Z2 l# P5 r4 f/ R. K8 g . u5 h$ l' f) x6 ~" D"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"2 |) c8 Y1 U/ {) L7 h
$ k! Z& u/ i# r; q3 r- T6 M7 s: bHer 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./ y U P) r- N
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Each day would be 15 hours long. ( q u2 K. S/ Z8 K 0 j, J. y/ ?* z7 Y- y/ J"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. 1 H1 {, ~5 x% M* H# k1 G7 w4 a 7 ^, W0 c# }9 D8 o"You get used to it," she smiled.' A/ K7 x, ]5 c& s& v' R: |
' |7 h7 a1 ~% t- V, K( O0 Q0 {"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"; g' w( A8 R1 W, [8 u3 \* E% y
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"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."( z! n/ U$ {( S. Z+ R3 |
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There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. ) X- L. f1 S% m, @ ) L6 F v/ W! P- OExpensive lawsuits 8 `- R( z5 p5 \% Q @! K+ ]" x: s+ E8 r; pIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.+ c& c+ j: m5 V
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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., _, @5 P$ p2 B8 E& \
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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. M, k9 O0 K/ S3 b5 [1 o2 _1 K* J8 [, t& w( H* Q+ {
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.6 g5 M* S: C# h& B- N
" G) k- k: m; X3 r m$ L8 y"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" - c& f& u; z9 m. a; l$ {" ^$ _, u; c; T, v0 ^
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. , d/ S% q; e* ~7 x+ W( ]) J! K ) p* `1 X7 D7 E3 o ~" O- h3 cBut 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? ; z+ q1 u& `8 A3 d$ A* b& f/ t+ H _9 \
The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. ( r* I1 c, D9 p2 `( H/ M 6 Q: `( h9 s$ R- SIt 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.9 v+ B/ _* O1 O% R& [# _4 W+ I
" U+ U r7 c( `+ |A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.8 B/ l, y* O B5 T, s3 H( s
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The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. 3 X9 Z, P8 `1 F: O+ ]( k " X, U5 P$ {( n: h3 HThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene., u+ l& ~6 s" f5 r
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I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain., I' n: M7 ]" J9 h3 P3 _) a+ d2 d
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1 P2 g( I( w0 m# [! h* e . I7 W4 e: R* ]# xCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004