- U: D' X8 I0 y, u3 [8 ?过去许多年,当局一直要求色情影片中的演员在拍摄过程中必须使用安全套。# }' _( G! ~' C
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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。1 q. M1 X9 m. V# H8 p! f
) g$ O% s& ?9 x* {. K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。* e% K. H/ L- C% a- c) O
“没什么大不了的”- l1 I2 J1 _9 r8 v9 c3 V! `) H
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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。2 E3 F4 w+ j' V# @6 U
4 S$ f a% y0 m& z* v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”? * M$ q# b m9 H& {0 @ # J0 B) A! g( b, w) @5 e6 `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。( Q- G2 Y- s# s3 ]. R$ r9 T8 w# _: p
+ M9 ^ U1 i3 v5 B0 [我说,“你一定很累吧”?她微笑着回答说,“习惯了”。 ' ^- c3 ~2 i+ U5 s8 t $ K$ [# G w. c/ v) D我接着问,“那么,健康风险呢?你经常被感染吗”? & s0 i' L" m# J6 R; r H S0 I5 k8 p! J4 H( M/ e
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。”- C8 y# w+ l/ Q: A+ U; B _5 C
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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。 1 F' H5 U' s* {0 Y4 `1 S3 D W; o! y7 n
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。- _9 ?7 U0 [* c
不戴安全套的权利6 T" M1 A. N0 N( d: E" p- a
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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。- R+ Z& g; h8 N# S6 g, U/ j5 A( y
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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”? . v- V9 ]/ o2 A% i5 J9 o2 a S3 F1 H* t! _6 P/ `* S/ {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。: k1 u# p/ T6 ]7 Q: K v9 L3 [
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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? & ?- l; I! f! _0 q* \5 C + s+ v% j7 E2 n K m* M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。9 U) Z8 h& K6 p( R# }% [
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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。5 A' ~- [4 f* a
* v; x- b% v# i/ D( s一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。 $ {9 q# K5 o' ~ A' l7 e8 { 2 P# |0 F3 }; o/ ?3 j3 l- L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。0 }" _$ e8 W; |; l, K
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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。 * B# B' v3 w$ w/ k8 i+ B" B( k: e* ~8 `- u+ v) E6 s
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……. ) b" `1 ?, d5 ~2 i( u2 |/ w % w* u) [$ T1 N: Q! S1 k9 R. E4 K1 p; z+ J3 d
Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 2 Z* _' W$ T9 w/ N9 o4 n* C+ W0 H6 q: ?2 Y/ c
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.! t- ]2 B E8 R) V
1 {8 ]" ^0 V( ~Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. ( y$ f: Z# r: G3 E2 g+ |6 Y- j4 }% {; E& ^/ G# S9 F/ j% N
I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.( p' }7 e( r( V, c, {8 \1 q
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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.5 E4 I7 H' H' I# L" J) R
+ Q$ `9 U( X. u/ mThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.3 j& G) @( {- j6 M* x! P9 H) a
* o5 o$ I5 Q! |, Y) v" hPerformers 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. , Z. T U p) }0 w# D* V 8 J9 [ `# j. xThis 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. ! q" r1 d2 Q) d5 a& Y/ T 3 g& T1 o% h5 L5 q' GOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. 6 {# P, m2 {/ }) [7 y) D! @4 B% B6 P1 g( o0 j; D% V+ u. j
Fantasy4 @: a, b6 e8 V* W& d3 E
; s, u" F% a) Q' c( Y6 D+ UThe 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. . b' k) Q0 O( X8 Y& U! w5 T3 {
The problem, increasingly, is revenue." j' Q6 ` u/ I1 S$ ?* K
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Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.8 T3 o# l" n( k2 A* s1 u2 K& r
4 {8 g7 C: y5 ^/ Q" Q6 q+ uDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. M1 ^8 a' j' ]& Q. W5 d
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And the economic downturn does not help.1 N/ ]$ e; Q" X+ j7 B. p
& l8 u9 l8 O4 F' V- O( l"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.% T% V, b1 I D* C. _# x% ]
& x) F% U3 M" h! t6 \The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations., ?# {1 [8 K2 }/ z' P4 u
/ V% [9 D1 ]/ Z) f: QFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. - [% Y, I2 q$ U% ^+ v/ S" k0 O# U& w) M! g; l4 I7 w: q
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.& e" l! f( }* ^6 w& d, ] A
, I8 L1 h2 @$ j7 N' q N5 MBut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say. ( `. K4 K/ d3 d/ U0 l6 }. t. E) ]* @% ], y x
Gonorrhoea , Y; x( O0 I1 B/ \ # _5 ]0 Y5 m4 a; V: {Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.6 a1 u, A% @7 O
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A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. h8 \/ X- l) E. H' b3 s % n, U. }/ \) O4 wShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. . l ]& F: y/ _6 Z( J" O3 y# m7 `! [- m" f( x6 o
"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"4 _5 t& \5 i7 U0 D( I
) m q+ W5 f) v- D3 h6 K1 hHer 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. 0 t3 {' N& [2 O: ?. ^3 ?) Z% W9 c
Each day would be 15 hours long.# X7 F5 x1 E7 q' c' X0 Y
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"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. ! }3 h8 v7 m- N' I- v1 q! c3 e8 k$ I) f- K
"You get used to it," she smiled. ' p) ]/ f3 m" X" E* g }! k( z: u4 n0 F. N0 I
"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" ' v: ]& L! q2 [# B5 r. Y- g / ?7 ]6 X( A: g& C, s- }"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 s, J3 w9 _. |/ m/ o: x9 D" { \7 \# l4 o* i6 z; s- I
There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.. k3 B) o1 V0 W7 o! @ V
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Expensive lawsuits' {2 F; y; T- K; J1 b" Z7 U" [# T
. u5 {5 D. r) f. mIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business., D8 u. Z" ]& C
+ j1 S5 S& t; {& h7 {A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. - \/ H2 d# h' w; D0 B3 @: h% d' C9 L- Q; p9 g
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. E9 J. r* a% p2 `( @" i& b3 H/ r: n2 ]9 W( t/ K0 X: y8 u3 O, t: 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.% E$ |4 } h' Z
1 V! j& a( O" ^1 V$ x" X7 H: F! U"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?". A0 u# p6 C: N% N6 M$ Q
+ b5 }' R5 Y3 F2 MI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.- V; y9 z7 {4 v: j J
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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? * y* ~# _+ x, ] N2 {8 t- Y. c: ?" _7 Q2 P0 a M
The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. . h/ ?% Z9 k- n2 f6 b* b& X& q5 \5 {! ~# Z; N4 s
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.! q T% k5 L& |4 Y% f7 s. b
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A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. . _/ l3 m( v/ W- D: X2 j+ H, B% Q, s- B% B& p D4 ?9 i
The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. . r; Q7 h; |( ]2 j# s% U0 v, w$ E; a+ d/ O8 j4 F
That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.$ C1 K! E" C8 u# @( p. n/ G
2 l5 }# [2 f" a KI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. * a0 P+ L% Z; w# n* W" c2 G3 \; H" l6 ]" g( u6 V. `' F# K 5 K6 v2 l8 h1 I7 G' s 6 a: ] C9 z5 y+ E- x$ V; x. C2 |- o1 O# ?4 O; g- K' ^$ b; _/ |
Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004