3 I4 R4 X8 T) `3 l: o3 B1980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。 3 D6 ~# x& ^& X, c不戴安全套的权利 s Y5 b* Z1 N, k: y, U2 N# ^
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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。 " @) ^6 R9 h/ j' f; N ! U1 G) A. |$ x g; Y8 A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”? 4 v6 j4 b. `+ W , x8 Y/ L+ T) ~# o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。 5 M) L, x( J* W H/ t5 _) o5 |$ L$ v" t4 |7 |8 U0 U# E
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?2 t1 G3 |0 Y! h# M) ^ ~3 u, \
/ O1 k Q4 ]. W; O! K$ @8 ?! l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。 7 F$ n% Y% h+ E/ o# T) z; I 6 i. v0 R/ D9 j& \9 @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。 3 ~% a+ y; X# Q9 j* U$ E# A ' U/ x/ A( H+ k5 u2 [) P一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。- u: L' C! q! F
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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。; |7 a6 _# J2 w% l
% |! w$ w2 W$ e2 e7 X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。 2 r& S4 T5 U) l/ Q% [$ `. U3 P6 @ ) H. H5 g5 v3 v# n5 w$ t' o& p% 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……. ( X. K0 K) x f T " M) |' f' p. n! U3 D) B6 c: u3 v- d Y; }' q
Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles . R4 \$ S- D( g1 v ' @ \& V+ Q3 ICalifornia'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., f% C4 A" H7 Z( @) r6 g
x+ [% N, j' ~9 [/ W# aLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.+ {) ]" ]* I9 Q6 \- U5 j- ^" S) j
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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.6 O5 N( h, \: w/ c1 G; e
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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. 7 Q( T$ q6 R6 [5 b b5 c 7 U( F, o9 q6 H. \* W0 g5 MThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. ) g$ [+ G. L4 ]- x/ W8 X2 Z4 s 9 G; r: E5 I% M+ s3 ^. b8 nPerformers 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.& `9 b5 F. W5 W
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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. b3 Y/ ~* q! N3 N
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Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.1 U- H0 J! n3 M" i* ~
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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. 0 m7 \2 {1 \! x& S9 W* Q5 s3 W/ N 8 M) j6 E) l3 u0 oThe problem, increasingly, is revenue.6 i5 Q8 k$ S- C- U6 S
) I4 @. Q6 ?" k0 XLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. ; ?) f7 V$ ?% k7 D5 u, \ & M: q, \$ L. }0 Z5 \0 _DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.8 f- F2 F5 n1 p9 k& o. V) R
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And the economic downturn does not help.% F9 |" `% [5 V$ B7 W# d
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"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully./ @3 }6 H# n8 n9 r4 X
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The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.6 Q e/ {$ X- u
9 m* _" H9 \( X3 P$ X( X3 }For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. 3 @4 X# N0 S, D0 @5 h( a. x% @9 q w
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. 0 Q3 s7 h2 {$ q* F Q, N8 \/ O( c* {) M4 K( ]
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.8 K5 c" C" P: E" z; w
2 I% Q4 B2 V+ aGonorrhoea / d `$ S4 m8 n' o @" w( j1 X4 j& }1 m. O6 z
Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. ) A9 P9 k' g: l* n k4 f5 D" q( m, K) x
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.6 k3 g# f- v5 O/ O/ D) Z7 ?: g& y
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She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.. w: I, o# D3 t4 y5 L7 l% N
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"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"+ [+ v& O* x6 W6 _) t7 {& K
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Her 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. 9 z9 N; s- |' u9 Q0 P6 _/ i: g4 p . C- U5 {7 p. AEach day would be 15 hours long. % U7 M0 J' |+ o! a. V4 t& a! ^% M
"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.0 o1 Y B0 g9 g# S( M, }
6 A' y/ V b! N. {9 H( i$ g"You get used to it," she smiled. ~! Z s5 ]8 [/ G+ s8 V. a: O* e 7 S) m2 V$ p# j4 u+ @: O"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"- H3 |/ c$ O! J
. B) Q6 J9 o/ e- {3 @. n"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."; X( K- N# K6 {5 }: t. z9 [' i
0 v/ I/ }$ G: Y9 GThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.7 n: R3 Z! v, ]
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Expensive lawsuits 9 ]5 v G; T: P2 }0 K4 `. z' c/ H; P2 H1 }' d5 ~( x* w. g5 s
In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. / Q5 W' f* G/ Y9 _2 o- Y1 T9 A) @* K. P- |& b. o- @% X
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.; p/ ~3 X% q; k
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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. # B6 [* g' A9 J% s5 U/ Y& T' ^ E7 v: ?& m/ l/ g0 S
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. 3 q5 |; A' A. p' n. o! c8 i6 f0 d! v! A) D' T R" B3 u) F
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?") ~* Z$ l0 D3 q) m+ m) M+ l
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I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.) @6 Q' s2 u* f, F: E) R* [& n; e
. J6 o% [# j/ {/ | ~- MBut 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? # I9 F, f7 S. u) ?: q! ]4 W% I' A) X9 n' X. X' O3 K+ U* D
The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. 6 t( G7 s2 T+ A A ) ]6 `' H) c' l: @- @4 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. ! b3 `6 x* R0 K' c1 W% z7 O4 y+ b2 P
A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. ( R* ? h5 A! f0 ~9 h! }, j 5 W) W: B# O4 \6 @6 x W3 ^The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. * z7 V) m2 k8 Z" y/ s% [2 a: j# D* h$ b
That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.' I* _, f% B; {6 N7 |" T
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I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. & A* F( Z! E. h. y5 T; E/ H 0 C' y8 J) n: q ( q s" i3 E: Q7 z % y& C# W. x6 d% _, u1 c8 ]/ z' X; I* f
Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004