7 I) o8 G# |9 f" K$ y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。& k$ O) T2 K, N6 y3 B, U4 l: o
2 x3 w- ^& ?, x! M) |
我说,“你一定很累吧”?她微笑着回答说,“习惯了”。- a0 k2 z4 l H* }$ d
) {$ G) l( H0 T7 L3 R, N; O
我接着问,“那么,健康风险呢?你经常被感染吗”? 3 K, s+ M0 G2 Y( f % L( E# m# ^7 e6 @. 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。” $ _" U, y" a+ k1 q0 x4 W! u; ^2 M2 P, k! l, u4 ^* H. G" }
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。+ _$ g4 _7 [% f6 v( D
2 }! O. p$ t [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。 ( g/ b8 g9 y' k+ k) J& G不戴安全套的权利 & E& }7 H5 j. Y- S6 \+ ]' r4 {+ z: l1 E D: g3 E
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。 $ P" @+ t$ d) } . X) S" _9 \0 g6 t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”? 2 C7 Z8 f' X$ j+ Y% g ( W" y0 _, q+ ?" R8 L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。( w/ o( s( D8 ~% X9 `
* l H+ O2 W* U& g
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? , C- q7 Z5 k4 n6 X, }" E" i G* q% V) j4 [9 z& k9 H0 S, U
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。" g0 |; n4 M( k
& ?3 J3 Q1 r. k$ m
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。; [1 K7 V0 Z8 h) O
8 s8 T. q0 G2 n/ h! N, ?一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。 W, ?$ D$ s( c$ I5 T* m) L: |8 q
: n$ N! _& m7 ^( h1 H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。 4 M2 x" z9 j# T" s1 V( o) T! X5 C. U2 Y: K
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。 : N' e+ N+ @$ a+ r3 T7 b9 e8 D, L! ^! ` I$ F9 v, L2 [ D% @
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…….( G0 A R0 f$ P* i$ K, x
/ t9 J1 c T# A% j$ |( Y ! T, B a7 G* a2 H9 D9 `( k" FCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles ; @6 n3 B6 S+ Y . r8 \! f& Z; ^6 q1 [9 e* k1 @9 PCalifornia'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. , |& j3 o. z8 u4 m. i1 M. U 0 z+ L( h; p& G3 `( \( g/ zLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles./ D4 ]1 @: Z4 {- { K
4 T* R& i& D7 b0 QI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things./ ^0 L) Y1 O1 Y6 \, I
: V% f+ E. y6 K2 A9 ~- A* u% MWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. + H- s/ A* _! p/ Z, C % q# R1 d& e8 ]- \& UThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. 6 E, q4 z2 C" |3 d ( g) @; G9 I, [0 i! C% n6 c3 fPerformers 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.% x/ v/ q# y6 I% L1 @
7 `2 H7 y4 k( U& s, f2 MThis 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.7 C! ]5 \6 T+ I; _- N
; I, ?: s' o$ H, U3 B! k
Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. G* a @, ] }( D/ L0 r u' c; L% s. R1 y9 Z/ Q
Fantasy( `4 l, \' v) L: @: g7 V9 J L
2 T" r8 E7 U+ X! p8 b
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. 4 u4 h7 \7 d% h1 ]5 G) m+ }( A% d' N$ a7 x! e6 A/ e
The problem, increasingly, is revenue. 2 T* B9 h O4 r& n, Q8 q+ U : E1 ^8 R7 p& d% Q% N4 x% [# a4 ^Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. . d) v& v- |; L+ ] % A3 }. S% }. q( N$ ^DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. 8 C! W! l t3 k5 g' ~0 k4 ^, l% Q( ]& J. X4 J; r R
And the economic downturn does not help. # i3 {; z) Y8 d: p% r 3 ~$ K% G$ f% f5 u& } I) P"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.) B+ |: @$ L: k- K% r3 j% m
, O9 e% L8 R: F1 }# c$ v1 u3 I
The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.- U0 o5 M/ ^. f3 e6 u: @. h
: M$ \% T& v1 F4 U) j2 l, r3 E
For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.; E- b0 J8 ^% D2 o9 J
7 F4 ?6 F6 O& @6 U2 FHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.2 U: p e! _' ?7 H4 s- d4 h* Z
" R) c, O) k6 Q e+ }' 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.6 v- T6 v1 B c7 L; I# Q
2 c/ O% w& U; |0 B3 gGonorrhoea! Y/ s( C8 l% Z. c
' n E- C: j& Z* oBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.- C2 B; A! c C, r- L$ [4 v
# M& p4 F# @1 Z7 o
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. 6 v# p) U+ z8 {1 J+ ? 7 c# P0 |% G- `, q% LShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. 8 I5 @( X4 V/ R. c! n0 o1 M! k( Z 5 y, [. n2 Z0 x+ I( l"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"5 Q4 s8 {+ Y- y8 B/ \ g
# v; m8 u5 e: K# v7 w4 m0 k
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.+ G3 R/ G# E) l) y/ G
) f9 ?1 A/ u6 f1 {. KEach day would be 15 hours long.9 Q+ [' i/ m) W, D7 ^0 F& t
9 Y$ s9 [2 g4 i$ a
"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. : R6 a3 {! b y* V6 _! I) c 2 }- [3 |$ \# q. o H"You get used to it," she smiled. * Z/ O# _2 ?2 s) a+ a( O1 g4 o& p2 z3 S0 @ U/ p
"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?") E' |& f1 A" k M
- w" @4 g: V8 ?
"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 Y b, P& A4 W! Z8 Q! H% v) h/ b4 f) g4 p5 }: ?
There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. $ t6 x( k, s/ V% e' m: T" _- e0 s: @& F8 s; ?
Expensive lawsuits* P/ R! U- ~; f. v! t% z
6 L% ?: A5 m7 r- v
In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. 6 m7 p) W4 G g, Q6 V' i 8 |8 Z5 o: R# XA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. , c! S3 C+ l, r1 W1 @$ q3 U, Y, W $ x+ a3 K2 X1 O9 h, n2 nIt 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. # [# o6 ~+ { F9 S# O ! n0 m9 p( D9 t7 e7 _) s- kNow, 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.8 l3 i! }0 Z( u+ k
* B& K6 }( I7 }3 S& s6 r: u"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" ! t, u! X3 p3 J8 w; A1 n( h% B# j! C3 S/ j7 K
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. : X! h6 C; u( r3 A3 N+ ` 9 ]2 S) v. P x9 |5 ?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? ' c( E: c O. k6 n9 w% x) K; Q9 P) l5 Q0 e- f
The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.7 R; c$ J& k' q' @' y% Y9 W
% Y, o: N# d! x: U
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. . e" R+ t, y4 m+ m0 C9 y3 t! O0 W' }* e: P8 }9 P0 m5 h9 k
A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. # \$ u2 S) J1 c& Z , l. T5 J% F4 a( P D) }The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. 6 ]9 h9 @8 `! u % E2 k% R# Q$ U [0 gThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. / E; b8 S) L# r* D& X9 n # }. _! k' H& B0 _6 J K L2 CI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.* j: e: d7 _' s5 w- I* p: V
/ `8 ^- t/ Q) p" v9 T, v + F5 c6 f, A; E1 s$ G2 r1 k
* Z1 @+ n! P, o% d+ U 7 h, Y0 `8 k8 b J* ~* m
Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004