9 K* S ^" v2 v1980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。/ I& S* d: W. [! D; X: q
不戴安全套的权利8 H- i. J8 \) Y: k8 J5 N: I
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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。 / @, B9 O, Y7 V9 {& g t! r / Q; U6 O2 r# s7 |+ C0 A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”?. E- C- ]( G' J- f: p
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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。 " g! i3 h6 M! S. ~5 K6 A4 c7 [, m& Z/ V5 E# |6 L
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? + j2 [6 f* H, q X0 `( Q1 f7 C6 Y5 B
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 }0 g! ` W3 \& s* r' u
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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。9 F5 O$ L2 K4 t5 H+ @/ E
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一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。) v9 i; f" Q& s6 w
+ y' H) n8 Q: Y. t: Z, V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。 + ?6 Z7 u) M* E # x! s C; c/ G+ s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。 : W# C5 s) K/ J2 C* H0 L : {2 p) h' z; s+ u0 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……. $ v9 m4 \' A0 M2 v5 t {& p1 C/ y/ H' ?( Z
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Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles ! [6 P6 _, b7 K% p- |) H 7 u# s- C. o& K: k$ n4 S5 ]% ^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.3 |% \1 a) Y$ f6 \" q1 R9 N% s
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Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. . n; K& k3 I+ U- C, ]* u5 A% B1 Y. f& u( P- R0 ?6 X/ n8 T
I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things., F+ v( g! j% r6 L( f2 J4 n: b
1 I. r0 e4 X5 T. K$ J Z* hWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.$ c0 D" W; {* t& D
1 U9 E. }) L4 W; YThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. ' r: \# q2 r- N# E& I: M8 g% z 1 _: Y+ {; x: _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.$ y/ c2 x8 d: t/ ^
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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.7 G5 s; P$ Q) w, J" c+ _
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Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. B; g# U( x' U4 i( [: L$ c1 _+ t1 U/ G( v* t( O! o$ m! N
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4 x/ D) F7 x3 C/ nThe 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.. ?* H( K, d7 [4 `+ ?% z
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The problem, increasingly, is revenue.% t5 ]4 \% Y' m: T( j
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Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. # I0 J2 S) Z6 h. j( v* F/ X8 w: f8 u( w. {$ U
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. ' c& n4 m0 d! i# Q. K" d$ L5 ?# D* o" |. T
And the economic downturn does not help. 5 K! _8 q; A% Y' n7 `: T6 W# ^# s# l: I& r9 Z) r
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.5 X$ x0 p2 f' E" L' g. O
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The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.0 h8 i8 L; R5 e/ N$ R* v) d
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For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. p8 \0 c" S* ?. `
& p) \% z$ n9 a3 wHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.- K1 o7 q B3 t4 f# T
: V4 ^4 l! R8 Q& SBut 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 f' M6 s5 Y# L `& m, e1 A
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Gonorrhoea' v: n3 b5 Y+ u. c, O$ x+ O- o. H
# ` ?( Z- X x5 x3 W+ mBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. 5 s4 U+ H+ C( R' Y }7 G& f! w. g8 X" ~) U' P
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. 4 ~' l3 t P- U1 m6 ^ B V2 T, _0 r, z6 O9 o8 G& i% h# X
She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. & G! N5 H9 C' `8 g* y1 A4 n6 H L/ |6 c& x
"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" " h* z& Y9 i7 X2 \" r% j' M& ]; }/ D* n; O
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. 7 D+ ~- [, D. ]9 ` ( ?/ [- h1 c4 Z, OEach day would be 15 hours long.1 N" [8 a6 M2 w, p4 S5 l
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"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.5 o: |! D4 `- B- \# a/ l. T$ ?- j
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"You get used to it," she smiled.$ r2 C- n% G- n
" B) s! b, z$ G% r"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"9 E$ W7 M1 W1 k; `
+ H7 _0 U" j5 o- W"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." 5 V$ [# @5 Z/ e9 d8 ]) F- [4 _# J; K
There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. 4 H+ S) e, s, e* B: x3 @! D* g2 s
Expensive lawsuits$ `1 R1 G" p1 d# m
. u) p( A7 N5 p0 e3 N/ mIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.6 T9 C' J; W) h, {7 W8 p) {
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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.3 U7 b$ D* K: R) E7 U- 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. / Q* D5 W$ E" I 0 \+ Q5 w* n6 fNow, 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 `! F( }9 n( ?" {
7 G+ F, g( y* j( `+ L"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"1 u( J# n v+ V3 F: }
% Y8 B' D/ v) y- I: }2 fI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.2 u/ Q7 ^! ?+ a W4 W6 { H
7 K! D/ E1 h+ r' LBut 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? * h8 [5 A# q8 [, e! z! e ~ 0 a2 T' I, d, P5 |, y CThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. 2 @* M% h4 ^+ h; x2 A* n8 k/ Z5 @( }: B& D6 w
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. 2 c1 A+ L+ |+ f/ X & k0 a8 ^3 V( y' ^1 y% yA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.2 Z/ I! r9 K3 j
5 I9 _% Z, Q0 o4 ]9 z" fThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. 7 S/ G, p; e, a- m2 J . M5 R- K! G9 B& m O" h" xThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. T" u" Y* A" V- Y% y
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I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. 5 b% {. q' n$ I$ e+ `2 `/ g0 S' U5 i" x- j4 o - f: f" R! @; c
, ]% i1 V- d& q7 a ' c( P @" j# NCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004