. i2 w5 |$ i4 A: e( f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。 9 a3 G3 |# S U% a a' X* b! }7 i" M1 k# i' M% u" p6 {' G
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。 2 b, I; m' M7 \0 I不戴安全套的权利 5 j- T3 [" Y. D$ S/ p$ Q/ W3 y7 E# ?. K: I, V2 h' j
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。0 I" V9 j3 i: C" B W. i. |
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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”? " ?) U! F9 @2 P" T( c! I/ p' }* d# I6 e: I; B) v3 t0 S. k$ z
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。 ( ~- @- ~1 m4 D. B % o+ V/ q/ r) M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? / O/ \% n/ B- d. A. s& N. j2 k- v$ `0 f% A7 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。' R- P. i" v4 ^! N. m p
. z# T. J% n/ }8 v* c) Z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。' j, ^+ M h- L3 {
) L5 o8 G/ c/ R' Z1 @. n. U一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。+ x- u s6 b- }
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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。$ N5 D5 K4 _" H( N3 @8 r
3 a6 U X$ J3 s/ \" i# k" V7 s* p7 d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。 1 L1 ^" W; Y: A7 u! W/ f4 ]8 m ' S& K, J. S1 J/ u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…….! T1 Q- f2 N5 M" y" a
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Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles + P5 ^4 |! f- Z
* b& a9 k8 [# d: 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., e0 f8 c+ e/ T/ Y7 |1 T. b
- e+ D) U/ v9 n8 }2 cLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.6 E) v5 {& A# G/ Q# f6 V+ 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.' H, X* D2 ^$ [2 Q0 O& O2 t
7 s/ V: O4 ~/ \# J* s3 T6 sWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.- Z0 |8 ]2 b. V( Z! o! r. ~
8 T+ s3 I2 z% E( o# d2 K% J5 }0 ?The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.% m- z$ g. _+ G4 \2 j
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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. 4 c, i, p$ N+ L, X$ F- H1 v, J- H* d
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* r+ P) O! b; `% O9 J
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Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. / t& K' [- {9 U6 a. t! Q % `; A1 ?* l) UFantasy# x8 C7 ?8 k; g. @+ q8 A; [3 a d
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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.! e0 W8 [. C! q" a* e
& S2 X2 a, Q) a }5 I& y8 m) UThe problem, increasingly, is revenue.; t6 B6 U: j0 Y, k* q# b
# u* ~6 b1 ]# |& [5 E3 C% [0 F0 L4 V& ELike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. " D" y/ y5 v& j) q: `$ ], V5 a' K$ a" W" Z
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. 6 d! R9 S9 E o! v3 F7 \+ V1 a * A) h9 Q* }6 z1 G* d; `And the economic downturn does not help. * A/ P" p& D, ~% ^9 v! o 2 M$ Q4 `& a* Q: i! t2 c"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.$ n6 b7 a9 j: A4 d+ y( T; E4 M
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The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.& e z$ h+ D# k2 q
: { ~, y- @- H3 `9 r0 ]: x" oFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.2 Y# |0 ?. |0 z! V7 ]9 t
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Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.% m4 [5 t% N& h( 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. * Q, n3 b% j8 A3 J3 n( L- W & }) u2 L7 q5 n0 T/ k$ HGonorrhoea/ t1 P" ]7 L0 L" m! T* t
* J, S# r0 e( \- _6 x: ?Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.# @4 M# {* V! A$ Q$ z: D3 y
. C& Y' i) r! r7 pA college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. % {+ c0 Z% r7 q) l9 \ 1 q1 c+ n! c% s" cShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.3 r6 O; l- n% h7 A1 l$ G/ \3 A
( s! F& x1 V% }) h" Y5 {- G0 ~"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"( T+ r1 x% C( A% o2 v& a
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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. , Q. I6 D- U7 t3 C( I0 F ; p; G6 _! w7 y# j# _Each day would be 15 hours long. # S6 i* Z3 u6 @0 ]$ J; k! m, { R* O: z
"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. 4 ~1 X0 b% N( P+ N/ N! g* I0 B7 P) t1 D" T# ~+ i2 t c# H$ f
"You get used to it," she smiled.6 \1 M4 R& l) a# }7 i# m# d
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"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" . i I" L3 G7 a3 j/ k+ p0 V, L + H" _4 d9 ^- f- s/ ^9 ?( a"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." 8 t+ m- }2 S2 l* N U" f- r( J8 t4 U" |! m( _
There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.! O& S, G( n# X8 a
/ \! @/ O) f( t8 Q: @5 u. SExpensive lawsuits 3 S8 c- v* W- `/ e* X. `3 J( C8 e. g$ Q3 u9 Y3 @0 J( l
In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.4 W, F- C$ i8 v7 {/ w) I
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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./ w8 a$ K3 n$ l7 l
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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." h6 j8 ~2 V0 T- s! F2 f
9 e' g' ?& \3 q" `/ ?: N9 O# N0 qNow, 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.: G( F- [1 n$ d
1 S) @5 L9 F* G1 n0 h! c) z"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" % h/ _2 z! @) F* Y + j1 k- _! i1 `$ U% l \- J. }I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. ' s u1 v/ }' I( k; d1 Q" L1 g $ J# |$ c8 K* i5 { |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? 1 I! q1 n$ W. B2 V6 i) G$ L8 D. T
The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. * o q. k: u" Z4 w0 N, b7 R a3 b" f$ Z, f2 t6 k( P- ]1 s' ~% X
It 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.7 h5 Z1 H, s8 y- [& j
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A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. ; U6 B n* |5 b0 h( D: i7 D( O* i; p9 q! t
The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. 4 U! C: o! \. M3 l* [% M0 U! {, x3 D% ]" F
That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. * B, V: x) N3 U) }0 e 6 n M2 z7 s1 t5 CI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. & I* m4 M% Q% P4 ^2 O$ X5 s3 K, @8 b- B3 g2 t7 V' L . n! F# S8 x% t% y- x9 b; V y) X 6 o, d+ C/ B9 Q. Z/ _2 d) K " w: e" N1 B1 E* dCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004