" A# x0 o" I% |6 j) ?% Z我接着问，“那么，健康风险呢？你经常被感染吗”？ , d+ f1 b6 V* e& A4 f2 c; x 3 T! o, i. J# R: B* h4 A' y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。” : B, W' m# B ]$ J5 L/ e4 {4 t 3 r. v- ~: J2 `6 K7 C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。 & ?: s% T1 l, ]6 U' m4 J 5 d% I/ z3 _; {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。 & F- o- `1 n, m0 z5 f2 o% n( A* |# X不戴安全套的权利 5 p8 D8 {9 j$ f4 ?7 N5 X 4 i% @0 z8 w3 I9 K) b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。 . }; L- a: n9 ]$ W! k# @9 P ( W0 S; j) G# E3 w( G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”？ % c! e- g: B2 a+ ~1 l1 r) B- l- s+ @2 E1 T8 d6 V/ Y# v) U* w
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。 1 T' e$ J. r l8 C5 y% x/ o2 N- S) m1 R1 X3 x
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？) W3 D: i' n: q, L7 V. x
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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。" D# j R# ^2 i
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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。 3 V* v( j5 H7 |: x/ f+ m6 j1 Q / ~+ O8 i$ J! o6 ~3 i- B) _& b一些演员私下告诉我，他们盼着立法赶快生效。" p0 _7 R2 f/ B1 v- u" t9 c" J5 i
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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。 . W4 z0 n: p7 u( q0 d+ K/ Z% z- Z( S: d ~3 ~
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。& g, H$ N- H! Y8 m3 g
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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……. , ?) m* ~$ F. F: \# S0 y' W# R' G* B x( r
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Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles ) u: ?; s5 p! R* V
$ B& W k0 |" F uCalifornia'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. ( X8 C! [0 T; U$ w9 ?( q$ M t' y% P: v w# {& j4 aLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.3 b1 O2 I' t9 r2 j" [
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I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.% r0 D S0 W+ \* v: S. {; U
' r1 C$ C4 r) ZWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.. a1 S. K9 M4 M
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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. 0 Q; O8 S6 b' F+ U0 ?8 _: z / I) `7 S; s: E1 P/ p. X' HPerformers 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. 8 d' p: w1 |. F' M$ j$ [3 N+ Z1 x' p/ _1 f4 E; `9 U" O( x& Q, B
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. 6 W* I2 x) o0 F 0 K3 s4 {) a, V) IOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. : G# B! p3 ?1 B) T" W% I$ N. |( p; s, S7 W' i u( A5 e5 U
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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./ F* V8 G$ W% s# V+ I. G: x
" ~0 `# j/ H7 r; H& z8 yThe problem, increasingly, is revenue.% p* Q5 m9 _& J' t2 M4 o
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Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. 3 h m/ ~6 e' _6 s7 w' C7 b 8 f$ w1 x( R" j/ e' xDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. 6 o2 T/ \& t/ z; k' c }5 ] . R5 r: G D8 mAnd the economic downturn does not help. ( S+ c3 s& T z0 R% P/ a6 K* S2 J+ ~5 C; R+ ?
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. ! i/ }1 K$ ~; t5 @: }, m 0 p5 T" ~9 X0 M3 w; xThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. + t$ J j6 e2 h: `" ? 4 ]+ _* M' w, n! J/ b& d7 w" OFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.0 ?* c& m* N i2 m# J
6 G6 g8 m2 k' d5 d* _; EHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set." v& l# M: a* n+ U
$ }; a& m; K8 l5 { {. gBut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say." g4 v4 R; p2 y6 I2 H: v+ v+ E
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Gonorrhoea; c7 I% E; d$ {6 i& J, P# c: d8 n# M
$ A* a' [8 v/ N1 b8 U- V ]Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.% l1 `5 J2 R3 B
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A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. & x5 ~8 ^9 p2 [; h' ~' } . n2 w9 P. b" j+ [) A9 l4 E$ IShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. # B {, u9 v6 h( B3 B8 W0 A$ U8 l) O- r7 Y
"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?". {9 `4 f7 N2 `8 y. g* {
r0 {* f7 h0 ^( ?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., V" r* I: `1 V% i
9 _; @3 O' f, y, G4 n, L9 ~Each day would be 15 hours long. 0 ~) c, r6 J! W* E7 E7 E2 |2 A# C1 Q4 M3 }6 `0 K9 h$ z# u
"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. . [4 ?3 l q T5 }2 @' B `* t; p+ N3 r"You get used to it," she smiled." w0 l1 J/ Q' X4 O6 d
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"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" 7 Q; l2 [# e' O; ^6 U, C# S, w' ^4 J: v$ v. S+ O
"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."4 {2 r& p* M5 A$ `
* f: L5 Y- ]; f) G AThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. " ]) o" {0 l ?& i1 k+ \& j$ {+ Z' p1 F A
Expensive lawsuits$ T8 g1 j% w e# g- W8 E
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In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. 1 I0 \4 ]7 g2 l* H* u, {9 J1 T+ S/ y! I' ~* l
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. & ]+ i, q/ ^. j7 Z9 p5 Q- k2 F& r( N( k* s0 `
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. ' @2 l$ U/ Z* c1 X : u& ~ g3 P8 _1 nNow, 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.1 Q0 h) p; O U; U+ |
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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?"7 q2 K# T" S& J: m* u& h$ h: o0 N
3 u- y) o/ W& `+ E8 ]I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.( U3 v, u! [: S& h7 _) T% c1 w
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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? 4 v, M. d" ^6 h; p3 A* I( X: B1 ]! {
The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.; S- l! A, {" C1 {5 e
1 ]) |: y$ E' p" W: hIt 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.+ M- H, x$ _! Z9 q4 A: Z9 Z3 h( {) G
0 I% v" y+ x w: M1 u5 Z' x* MA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. 7 R/ E8 F [0 y$ W# _/ W! o: {8 z5 L( ^/ o& r0 ]( y) B" {
The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. 2 _1 ~" k# m) M8 o/ ?, Q y& O- b$ m* j7 O5 ]# z& Q* f
That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene., d, Q- W9 N! h
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I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.' @* a& L; V% D- n6 X, G2 z4 |
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Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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