3 [5 @% F4 s8 Z我说,“你一定很累吧”?她微笑着回答说,“习惯了”。 5 t7 s/ P: ]# Q+ \8 H7 l8 J; w6 U
我接着问,“那么,健康风险呢?你经常被感染吗”? & w4 f8 I3 N" H. \6 U- x' `; X : {! N' G5 M0 g2 k) 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。” ) F" k! l6 ~& E+ ] 5 G- ] [# o2 A) `, r- r1 J+ O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。 9 g" @- j+ _ L5 _% A4 u+ L7 d8 p \( K( c& t$ _. D3 L$ @- ], p
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 ]( j) z- O) C u不戴安全套的权利* ^/ y. ~$ z$ \" x
7 u8 k; U2 j9 }' [5 a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。 2 }! O5 _8 {! |2 K9 J" u 7 B' M0 H& }0 P* N% T0 m) {! v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”?7 n4 u; j3 M5 _
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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。 , V' g E* z! l( e( t- p" A, m" I+ F: M 2 Q# Q! f3 z% |/ n9 N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? ( v- D* n: `1 t' Z& V: @- q0 t% \7 a. _; 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。 * o* o8 C7 d$ `0 E R! L X6 v" U* h5 i0 Q( P% W
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 n8 c1 b9 X. g! J& d! d' P, ~9 |# m# R , ~0 j5 X3 ?6 [) B5 J- j0 p一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。 }3 |6 ~% Y/ N. A8 n/ _: u6 { ! V, ?) v( e. i& b& Q/ F+ i1 w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。+ }: e8 N% }' z8 m2 \
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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。 6 F/ X% c. H0 Z) Q, F, P6 I9 Q* `. [" D 3 E6 J5 O; o1 m: e- R# R6 K# A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…….. |% D7 ^: n+ }
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Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles ( i" ?0 Q! P( r9 Q7 y5 x4 K
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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.( v) x# E0 O1 O& _
6 G% Z- v) U ~$ y6 yLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. ! l& F0 y5 i4 |# L) ? 6 I9 y6 l* h rI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.1 n" P& u6 \, z* W5 V! _% F# X
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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. 8 J; b! o/ K+ G2 d" \" b " `& R! n: S6 s7 A, aThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.' ?$ ~" ~' d3 H, K
( R& K, F8 k8 r" _8 V4 V1 yPerformers 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. & b/ H7 u- V A- f $ }* c- S U Z3 T3 CThis 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. + w, }) T* \9 v, a, b% V 2 O& p* U$ O( EOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.* s# i- L7 H$ W) c4 D
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Fantasy( J( l- ?, Y: G' R, {& d
: L5 o" J9 F. X& sThe 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.5 C; x* K; K6 ]5 P" Y, K
4 b3 X9 {3 m/ j. k. ^# _' mThe problem, increasingly, is revenue. - T, j, K* a Y& x( E 6 B4 I1 t+ J3 K9 H* tLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. + `" r$ Z8 f. Y1 X7 r) w1 X- N" q# W- {. i
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free./ q- O( v! W3 f, N2 t$ ]# S2 r
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And the economic downturn does not help.# q( ~3 k. H* ^$ I
$ f! ^; v. X& k& s7 k- ["What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.! h1 S, N: s# G! w2 h, g
8 b7 l- b: P, w: oThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations." k0 i; Y% m9 @/ J$ P
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For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. / i6 W8 X' Z) X U3 P ( W! P8 P$ D( K" |. ~4 _Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.! R7 h6 ~# s% v% _( c; B
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But the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say.' |. @+ a+ D b* S/ L4 S$ d: P
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Gonorrhoea 5 k! A$ j7 i6 F3 k# e$ Q: j$ }3 Z; Z+ N
Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. ; ~% {; @" h4 I4 h! N : l4 {2 L. z4 X6 ]0 R$ P4 R5 JA college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.3 ]8 e/ n' K5 V" |1 b- [
$ d2 n$ U5 C4 N5 k2 K4 GShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.% s9 N( O0 k. w8 x8 V8 }
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"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" 2 A4 ] U; Z7 B/ i- I7 Q1 X; L7 ~; C+ C: }9 c* L7 k8 s9 p
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. - u) ?% n' N8 Y& x+ z 1 q' j# m# v3 B& kEach day would be 15 hours long.1 y4 O* Z% K3 J
& y0 \* ~( z, N. Y"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. 7 c6 V9 I2 P+ b) ?: } 8 R( S$ a0 L% F. Z; j" t8 [9 \5 P"You get used to it," she smiled.5 L: ?: J, m. ~
3 \4 n' ^7 i- M0 m- f"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" : e! U( j p' c0 M$ e" f0 z; K2 V+ ^0 w9 i3 j+ [: m( H$ z
"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." ' r4 }% r" B4 ]1 X* D- K/ [. L. m3 o/ H0 s: j- A, R
There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. ; ]$ S7 Y( [+ e' m$ L" J , u- \) u& E* YExpensive lawsuits* H* t, B& R5 M5 \
2 K- L5 O5 `5 _- \8 a) T0 e9 hIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. 6 i! E P/ N# Q7 b) H$ l# K; I) a$ s 7 S8 u7 ^. i# \4 K6 p' IA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. ! s. S+ h8 Z1 Y; n' m! K7 ]9 r: Z$ ?8 O. W- T7 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.) ?8 `6 p! Q( x3 R5 ~( D$ B8 g
, g- R- Y, U1 x, BNow, 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. 9 q# U1 c$ ?& P5 w5 g( t% F# l5 B0 h
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"; ?* |# ^' y0 T3 L* w* H
5 q) p: D, b5 V* a% R6 U- JI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.8 G; g: a7 c! W1 F2 A
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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? # y3 |; S& d3 t8 Q: k- l. Q . F/ G: F, A; m w4 ]/ `3 |4 R. kThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. 3 `% ~/ X c0 b9 J$ ^8 n2 J8 d* e+ |* {
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. 8 i0 v' o6 j% L " a3 Q( m3 K B/ t; A7 BA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.. ~: i( j$ U! O: K) f8 W
0 ^5 Y4 f/ y- T& M, h3 P5 g+ _' MThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.( y0 ?" L1 R0 M( [2 c
" f( U; L8 a! B# ? m aThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. ! H1 q* a+ P* }) N7 o* D7 C) a5 ~, |/ S; {- }
I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. 8 K$ D' ?+ P1 N+ a/ U8 ~, b4 m% l9 N* u 2 j9 X9 ^# z2 z$ Y/ J2 V' ]+ W
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Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004