! F: x0 P9 R3 B q* Z宝碧说,改行做色情电影演员,主要是为了追求性探险。她说,“这是找乐趣。身边的人都高高兴兴,你有什么可烦的呢”? ) y1 O7 E! X! K( `' ~5 m4 S1 a- {- @& n
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。 4 R% |6 A+ _) G9 F6 E7 T. U+ h. W
我说,“你一定很累吧”?她微笑着回答说,“习惯了”。 ! J' a; T! L& ?1 y& J4 [2 A- _ . k- E! L3 \0 w& C2 U3 o4 a我接着问,“那么,健康风险呢?你经常被感染吗”? : N% N. r& R6 i! z/ ~ ( v5 d& i$ E T5 ]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。” 9 n* l6 V( w9 S* r0 y$ q5 g) O0 b0 L X4 g. p( p
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。3 W$ q; j& E& X! s( f
, ~- Q+ K& ]/ E: W
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。, }* H5 _5 S% O1 H; p) s
不戴安全套的权利- }! d) L1 n; [8 O }6 \
9 P4 S1 q( O$ m% Z& g+ w8 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。 / Q e1 W4 ?$ S7 [' V q* N9 J. Q. w& E4 f
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 ?3 x8 V, q" ]* @
+ u5 h1 s9 o, Z8 Z3 f6 V* h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。 . I! ]3 H* }: Z; t0 ~ 2 f5 M( D4 V: `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? & h, f" }5 J3 w5 q M4 D. D @0 h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。 _# x( x; y, D5 D: h( ^8 A% F$ c g( g6 }3 U. c, @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。 % V- L! G- ^( Y3 p% e5 w9 b5 G: }+ z8 M; `$ R$ V
一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。1 o4 M- K) ]" }; m" j* b; Q' Y
" t# d5 l0 t$ Y l3 z5 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。$ T% b& A. S& g4 ]8 X; E& g- u; U
8 I; S: E z# N {& C& c
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。 : `$ K& W9 v- O9 z ' q! ^/ S& j1 G5 R* F2 V& j' ~& b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……. 8 x: x6 G/ a5 h % I5 h5 f9 ?' m( k& ?( A1 K0 e K& Y3 X; `% s0 \# w( @% @Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles ) X5 h3 G! d; x$ c4 L ; }, Z! s! j! \ [) @8 lCalifornia'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. 1 M" ]. n( F. N- R$ o" B5 T0 I! U
Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.1 j5 s% {3 {- t$ ?; i
4 o) j% C# i/ f2 E3 O$ r2 [. M
I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. + U; s) R4 X8 _7 T6 C8 h @- r9 ~0 m' U
What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.0 Z6 a1 H5 \, F( t6 s
) F9 |6 T8 _1 E0 Y$ K5 o- g, K' Q
The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga." ^& T; P( M3 T, z5 j& V
# h' e1 N M9 wPerformers 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.* K8 y, ?( e6 I0 D6 t6 I, Y
* g1 q; }% L9 U" }8 X8 eThis 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. b! S0 m& P* z$ j$ b, c/ h m
3 K8 _3 B% q; B9 t, M
Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. 1 a$ |- b; S0 m! Q2 D! u3 y5 j - E6 R0 w. W: e- QFantasy . F! z- H ?1 F - G, q1 Z% B+ Z3 tThe 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. 9 Q( y' L5 R, s2 w! p8 ~: H0 o/ N " r4 U8 l% j0 B5 B- MThe problem, increasingly, is revenue. 3 F' ?" o$ E- ~3 y2 Q& U5 c / m( m# G. |( YLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. * r+ E7 ~) J% D8 Y5 c7 _7 I% J9 W. r2 y2 D
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. / Y! A& \+ C- f2 w) f0 S ( o# Q, z% ?( q+ a. U: PAnd the economic downturn does not help. & D' @2 _) B3 c# c5 H# @# E + h3 f3 i7 E6 Z/ X( h"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. 2 s. H1 d' S( P R2 W# k; c6 Q# l3 J/ ?
The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations." W. i6 a, d. r- H8 W" W3 E
' ^/ ^2 B3 @' ?8 x$ f) c! O% G
For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. : \6 U4 G! T5 y3 t7 @% a5 y% G5 m' Q. J
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.7 a+ _% D( |- Q) d& A: c9 W
) {, c9 ]* ~" F$ s( m- @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. x( m+ H6 J2 e* m5 u" w2 G
2 l# ?+ ~- c3 w# H) @Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers./ q, m9 Z1 f- f- w& O4 G* o. a& z- F
2 M! o8 w6 a, W* s% ^
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. 5 R6 g2 V# V4 M4 R! x0 T 5 F! N( L+ t/ q# n9 z. f* bShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.# O9 ~) a: D- n% H8 f
3 g" r: Q4 v7 d: a: a+ \: ~"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"; d) w! z$ ~% R: {0 D
* E# m0 D7 u0 y- AHer 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. 9 x- M3 {, U. Y3 b; ~# x6 c1 Q Q) d) c( U |
Each day would be 15 hours long.5 O$ R' d) J0 J2 N1 J% g3 l
8 J3 j- v8 N( k) m7 o
"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.' B* ?$ W+ a; i9 V& ~! ]) w
# Z* ]/ i) A" |) S9 B0 c
"You get used to it," she smiled. 9 S1 }, E( F. g% B5 ]. H! e9 w) q - k5 g- r/ u1 v2 m' X2 r1 Q' a"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" ! O! x0 S/ O* S5 L( s1 b % a+ B8 S% H# w8 {+ O9 w% t& l"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." 2 a* u" E7 J8 |0 @, p0 j7 H6 y( ~& m5 }: b9 y
There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. " C$ P# U2 J3 S* ~9 u: v+ \/ D: Y/ D0 y/ G: ]1 u e- l: c
Expensive lawsuits 3 j- d# l, O7 W( I& j& k4 T% |" l6 t5 { z/ a
In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.9 `$ }2 ~/ E3 |- @% M1 I1 i" m2 M
6 b* p) y, J8 `0 i
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.5 y% Z2 l# ~ n( N/ f z6 c! R p
6 Y9 j% e) s) L! L- V o" z. h
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 o- X1 ~) F$ }9 @: D
: @$ U# y2 c% _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. a0 w I! A" W; ^& W' T5 u
" |+ D: I# b1 ]6 i9 |8 @3 C* ^
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" ) d. \' \. P: l 3 Y" u* P; T+ g t5 OI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. q8 Y4 u; s5 w l, u9 L; e. m2 y0 P+ R4 S/ d: o
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?9 [3 h. w* r+ n
% T2 O5 ` x" y& r& b) b
The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.$ b m d* T# }8 U5 E1 @
5 i2 D. T1 Z J* _3 @0 j7 ]# M
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.( c1 ?& {2 N6 y% f# T9 c- m6 @( s
" L% L- r! u2 V, I- C+ m9 ~
A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.7 a9 B% @5 d4 P' k3 \3 d# @3 {
* p4 q: ~# d3 r
The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. $ |# F% g8 t0 K7 L6 r. B" A+ q& E3 c$ ~! {- g- G, @
That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.5 e6 n' A5 j+ T8 x5 ^6 X! ^, t
V6 N u: e8 v) y: `# ?/ E/ V
I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.& O' a7 W) \ B$ Z2 y; q
9 Q, w" r" K# @; M# e" S ) F1 [2 F5 e, M" Q! I7 Y0 _( L: ]# X w2 { 8 R4 H& h* `; p. O
Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004