- U6 K. F0 \, R0 e9 p/ O8 x" C' ]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。, H V! c- T, w1 T- ]8 j1 C
不戴安全套的权利1 o1 w: l4 f: N5 \9 }
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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。 5 ^9 I, y1 R5 R 9 s5 l' X1 C* \! m( ^( d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”? 6 t/ f* G% E3 G( Y - n `: J: q/ |. r3 f9 n9 r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。 2 P \ a) t' v+ Z8 L0 N" l* \& Z% d7 \1 g5 N$ Y9 o# _
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?; y% Z0 L# G" s7 ^4 }4 C4 D
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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。 + p3 e# P) R: i) a; {, j2 |* I ' v# \" k( Q8 `. N Q7 g0 Y @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) P A8 l7 K: `- w- S + `* z. c' m3 [$ e( x/ x) `6 z一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。6 ^, C- r) T' Z" W
9 y, M: a' q' c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。1 }/ }8 t$ C2 N5 H a! I
~: C# i+ H/ C3 g$ }. G A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。 ( K7 v( i6 A9 h% B* m8 U- _4 }8 @6 d8 E8 O2 G0 s2 K5 v
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……., @! l* ^" x. Y* b- V; x# z" w
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Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles , S! b& R0 \1 t7 M p : V: g# M% G, t7 J% i( QCalifornia'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. 9 P$ k7 z4 [, o' f# c$ @" i6 g) D: e n6 q; i2 k' c+ ~Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. 6 w6 O; u8 m& n 0 Z* ^2 \) Q' e: G: c5 G( A! G" `I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. 9 D4 `4 F& ~6 ^+ F' a. y/ N0 ^ " e0 Q) Z4 q$ ?, m9 Q oWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.0 \9 K* w4 E, D$ y6 G
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The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga." [& W2 h' w/ v) x( ~; |
4 _+ W B& m" R! I8 [+ b" xPerformers 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.! J! m" E8 T4 E4 o" |
, _ _4 [6 s: S: FThis 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% V+ d3 _9 U& k9 l$ T' K5 v1 {
Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.2 u' O3 k2 [2 \ o+ r* [ m% ^8 Z" `( F
" e, B6 w" r; r! w! G7 _8 M" IFantasy 1 C. N$ X, [' n$ O # x6 Z' \- ]# {8 u8 V% d+ d8 J2 h9 h: ~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. 8 e7 M, B: a7 C0 E+ }! d6 o0 Y3 \7 X% y
The problem, increasingly, is revenue. ) A! M, d% w0 r1 ?; I 8 V/ s* q6 z0 x/ g6 ^7 H" J5 gLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.8 b4 k# y1 o% R
5 m. J7 P4 v- e4 ]) l# C) @9 uDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.. ^0 t2 M$ d! m' s/ A+ `! u
- e |6 R; T/ Z; VAnd the economic downturn does not help.' l& `8 L3 [0 {+ q P
- R. F: ?3 u( {7 x3 L"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.9 Z ?; |: b( v5 j' n* v
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The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. * f: Y1 q4 @! N' d+ _2 X/ h& {: y( D! \7 M, B x# k$ f
For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. , l7 Y/ Q! E, L5 h X1 K0 V ) t, ` G5 A- H" n- J* HHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.& R4 m4 [$ b3 I* r1 Q
: j6 {, G$ u/ N i$ FBut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say. ( N' X) F" p8 E7 F# F% f0 w; a9 I/ x- I0 t+ x# e9 o
Gonorrhoea & l& N" f0 ^2 x/ A7 g# B! ]3 u. E1 g1 J% V( }5 S
Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. ' q C- K, E. s) W5 A ; v8 A' g2 E5 ?! X$ S7 QA college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.- |: r# c0 j$ r8 D: a/ m
2 P0 ^, _; J" o5 o+ i8 @# a6 r* iShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. + ]5 ^0 x, m" s, F, v5 D3 j5 A! f0 l" W# k 6 w2 x- C. A4 W"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"" M; q% g7 y3 F! K) g
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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. 3 T; t7 @; U) U! h# t6 n: q ~/ u) f# g) t, A8 \
Each day would be 15 hours long. d8 O3 G& v0 ^" p' }. n6 k6 Y! F* T$ b$ l2 X
"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested." C* h" \% U$ V, x7 V& Y
. q, d: f2 M( Q8 i4 R"You get used to it," she smiled.9 x6 B, I7 M5 H
$ S! }1 O; g# j9 {5 Y; z# x"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" & c2 ^" B" x* q5 S4 b+ r2 _0 J( \# Q/ R, j1 j- A3 h' G
"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." . m$ E9 t' ~# J: n+ t! }! Z- W0 _( g# Q$ I" q1 q- {7 n8 k
There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.- B, R9 h' \: C/ R- M+ ^
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Expensive lawsuits # n! O# X' L; x' P 4 p+ {8 o" P+ G! z) p1 ?% S6 H, eIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. N R* X/ D. r& k' @) t8 U5 C
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.# x$ p7 o3 U" O; r
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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.3 K, G0 c2 T/ L+ ]
) S: k! q3 n2 g1 GNow, 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.* p- Y5 H! J& V0 S* m) w/ J3 E2 x
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"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"3 g. o1 S( b# t, ^. z
H7 s; A1 D- n, K; D) F1 CI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. 1 S# {+ S% r9 T 0 K# K. G! A* \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? 3 X4 [" C4 r" w3 P( N% ]4 g/ \3 z; c* ` 6 b& {4 |- d/ o: J* W8 fThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. 8 B0 z7 D& D" j5 a9 n* c% b; t9 M3 \1 m* v D4 s& V7 Z
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.- i# H+ X v# G, g/ \2 `) ~
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A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them./ Q9 p! n8 @: s# S. f t
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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.1 \# l, d3 T8 x& I
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That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. ! c1 v) k; O8 S3 s {( d9 `' ^3 I & I2 o/ A8 B/ d0 N. t+ r+ F. iI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. 4 L- Y3 E/ d8 U) e, h2 [) { w! s$ C7 r8 B5 i; {* U. a; J % M4 O. y$ r, r6 E" T# B( J' O' D1 \! P1 N/ w% E ! K) f! M' U3 f9 x- p
Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004