. W# A0 A0 ^' o, M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。 & X' Q9 J! p* g' B4 T% T; v3 C/ t( _! _, ?4 u1 l) a) C5 L$ |, o
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。 # n- t( F9 `% o3 h: s2 Q不戴安全套的权利9 O' P) E! }9 w% c7 n# R
) K% m. H m8 P2 y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。/ f; s. L8 m, j& ]1 u" a
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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”? * d" V2 B* p8 z# X/ t. z ( x; w& }* R& i7 S6 ]8 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。. T. T9 b0 v. G4 t5 x! a/ ^ E e
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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? 2 }8 r% d* P( b* L7 ]5 o " u5 J* `7 Z: t8 t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。 1 U& I) [7 G6 c* F6 R/ e " U& A% M# ~5 ?0 r. m6 N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。& g+ Q# g! `2 s: _- H) t% }* X/ e* y
% l( m! w* c( s一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。& i4 @: {+ A5 p
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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。& P3 U1 d h1 M A9 f
) R3 o) z- F9 o, i: p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。 / v( e1 Z* C0 c 0 K) W8 `" n4 f# t( R! F* c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……. 5 i8 |1 d" r) S1 c% u; ` O* h. g
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Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles * O2 Q7 u- q8 T' I
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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.* u7 h3 A0 _# N9 c/ ^, f2 f! R
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Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.8 Q$ i, e o! |1 T) B
! d. c- f1 ` W4 N. J dI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. . [1 ~# {4 m) q$ k1 m6 F X8 |3 p& t+ n& X- l( X0 o
What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.' Y v* N5 {1 u. E3 E4 @
N. g3 G `0 S% |* AThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.9 G1 b g( k2 t$ g7 @$ F$ C
8 x# v& w1 ]9 E0 }7 H0 @6 G s. RPerformers 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.2 W' S7 w( {8 A: G/ q) ~: @, l
, Q0 @# [8 H& G9 a+ F0 KThis 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. 6 F A. d9 [8 J8 |( h3 [8 t' T9 s& }( v; J! V, X3 q
Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. * v8 _7 `2 r6 \4 M0 ~) C6 v+ V, {4 o: h( N$ [5 N; A
Fantasy( W/ M0 x5 Y( _; B
' K- @; ?! I( H" ?3 m7 G" h0 f0 oThe 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 q) d! d$ ~4 K. K! Z* L# S
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The problem, increasingly, is revenue. & c( _0 r5 t9 d n: L4 Z, R- i& u4 t2 K3 R3 @2 @& j
Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.9 |# x7 @$ e; d& x
% G% q h8 N% ~! g5 n1 K( MDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.$ X/ X' D* t8 p
1 D/ h- \- b9 zAnd the economic downturn does not help. 0 F7 P/ k2 _9 E 5 F3 ?7 W! U B"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. ( ]8 h, }7 `' W+ F- k+ a: B4 C / @7 o8 e6 d; m# kThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. ' X4 o/ ^& @ h6 n' z1 c : V' o" b0 x! @% W# ]4 ?For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.( t: B1 b3 s; r" |0 }, q
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Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. % a+ c* k; l6 }7 g2 X8 Q: o ~% l" X 3 P' {0 W+ J; EBut 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' t4 b9 o$ }/ S3 j( D; {7 J" o
8 V: [! D! m4 \# T- jGonorrhoea E. V7 J& w7 r; c
- G6 q/ V: v0 v1 PBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.7 F# w, o# ^ F; d Q0 f
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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. 1 y b- a3 O- M- T! X6 H - u. H: X2 h& V8 K1 T$ GShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure." g( v0 S1 I. ^7 y1 H) q
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"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" ! A P# V6 B% w! I5 v/ N7 S : s& Q% G+ v# \( sHer 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. * q8 C& s+ n5 j# U* u+ a5 l) F3 r6 l3 z, _3 ^! e
Each day would be 15 hours long. / {9 G* _$ O0 _9 d% r, H. B/ G 4 f7 I/ n+ V& ~$ X1 a"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. 9 G7 t: f0 J6 j/ C2 J4 y4 A# @' Z: O- n' M
"You get used to it," she smiled./ R( P# Z @. E7 b" r* u: g* O$ K
- E: y u) h* _* M+ v* p6 _ `% h"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"6 `1 [6 A7 ~0 J) \ m7 @
7 N7 N! I* \" W% f0 d& F"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." : P7 o( L- [ | 7 |! \7 k, j3 n7 t" _There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. 5 I: f: I- Q" } p1 H" ^" E& n& x 7 Q7 ] H# z" Q0 v$ Y' [8 H. tExpensive lawsuits1 A) X' h( t& t' K
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In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. / J+ U+ d3 {2 V 2 J$ Y. z9 ~+ a, m& ?2 |A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.- @, q0 X/ X {, U
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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.7 K# F1 s! Y. e# T
Z( ~$ V' B7 d" f ? ^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., y4 i0 w. j; @6 R( x
" c6 q8 v; y: t; l# j"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"% Z4 u, n; B+ i/ N
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I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. * S# `! X6 J" v0 N o# ^. U3 T+ W
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?$ g% Y' V/ i {: T$ _- b9 q
- u% k. |5 p# _0 QThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.1 i( r$ @4 r1 W1 N: H$ b# _* R$ u
( e0 K6 R, J1 f* \/ ?2 rIt 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.8 e- k+ B' q! p& |$ a9 K5 j5 H
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A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. ! ~, s: e0 w8 j% t' p, W7 s" T$ N; b3 j: m a6 [" @
The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.2 u7 T2 t; J d) N" D$ H! d
4 P5 _- l/ i# R3 L8 fThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.; P, Q! p$ X- r
6 b% T9 ~( ]/ j! c2 `, `I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. . U/ |' f% v: g* T( `& q 0 h7 @. e( `/ T+ A, v4 A- D0 F' j 6 s6 w, S* B; J; X! t9 W& u0 Q' Z& o2 k- G 3 e c9 K0 [9 W- |5 B) {
Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004