5 C; G. @4 J" z1980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。 " ^% m. o& R1 E- o& Q0 H不戴安全套的权利 + ~9 w! c, x5 x / r _( _/ T. t9 V. [9 W6 Z! }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。 5 F9 V& m9 K& Z' n5 c- t4 R, O: D& b) g/ u8 V$ f4 y
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”?9 Y; f( C$ u3 f) \. b8 H
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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。7 V: g/ f; W) Z& x% |
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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? 2 e8 W7 ^9 _: u- c' p6 o4 h+ I , g: s- U2 n# w: [1 o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。 . } Z$ `: `+ O( b. k" `2 X6 E8 g4 c% c/ c) P
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。% k2 L' \. @. }, [5 {, F1 k3 _. @
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一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。. N) x# P. o' ]& Y6 i2 x7 R
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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。 0 I5 s) W1 D1 l( j ; y1 M# m+ g4 e1 S" u4 a% {1 j6 y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。 " p4 w2 ^ Q, E" j* t$ k8 M4 O; q" D9 V% g1 `, g5 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 a7 {0 [% ?: I3 u; [( c. N
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; a1 V" M) \' i" H* X$ xCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles , R/ I# T. X( U$ k' x
2 _2 t4 p6 `. G) M1 f2 X- nCalifornia'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. ( J. @4 X2 s/ t m/ Q* @# m$ l ! S. j" }+ b% z& y8 o2 RLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. 7 s7 C6 `2 u8 Y4 m) S4 G & k# r& ?% j- g$ M3 UI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. 5 F5 Q4 }% D8 ?: ^ h ' d0 F2 g0 z% k! F$ t( Q' qWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. " _! B& f6 {: U) A6 {: h$ R) q6 Z8 P& v# @5 w; Y$ E5 p
The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. 9 G k( k8 M" k7 S + R' Z0 k7 L5 N1 n) ]& r: xPerformers 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.0 K4 z" L, ^5 x9 z
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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.$ K W0 d, u. n- z7 y. v3 C* X, W
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Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. - r' h6 l0 y2 Y! ]$ K m# Z u. D5 D2 N2 q( a% }, q
Fantasy 5 ~" _/ b' h; z6 J, o - R: ~' I0 o$ o' C+ r8 P3 CThe 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. : w$ }8 o9 \4 k! m) n3 K2 _3 o, u. U) X, X& s
The problem, increasingly, is revenue.. X% _+ j; n6 A' r7 C/ P0 S9 e! p: R
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Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. 5 A4 X2 |* }2 C- ?& q5 a# D- V! n2 u, i# y5 f( {
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.7 i3 R. V; {! w. Q' R4 k$ c6 E0 m8 p
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And the economic downturn does not help.8 Z& K# r1 r( k, J" ?
: ]/ F* e' R# i9 ]"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully., U4 w T$ U( q6 f% A# X+ v, W$ V
. |5 W( X* O4 \The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.- B" o6 ~7 T/ T j2 g3 R" ?* T
, ~" p. u2 |% a' {6 [$ QFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.! ~0 P% W! l0 U: b1 q9 j8 \
$ v1 b1 w* j4 S2 T# `7 JHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.6 G6 L& ^4 N$ T; O4 i7 K" | g4 M
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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.! I1 @9 Y/ E0 Y) [; q
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Gonorrhoea + j7 Q5 f+ E9 M( G6 Z% ^ $ A, G) {5 ~# \: fBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. 7 ?( B l1 _5 y1 F/ | 0 S! r( f" A$ sA college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. ; ]4 j" ]3 I& A2 y* j q5 N9 q7 _! m" l, x1 |; e" hShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. 3 s2 S: q/ s) V# g% e& n; j* b! P& x/ i; |) e; q3 i) o
"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"" @' y3 t" g ^
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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.' M: V% m" S( H2 [ d; S3 r8 i$ s
3 T( p' j( O) z% fEach day would be 15 hours long. . C* Z1 j" o3 t& P% ] 4 W2 w: v6 G+ K"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.6 l: r: P- I2 r/ g9 H4 F
& L$ ^& a' B" b0 b; i1 Q"You get used to it," she smiled.# Y+ p0 N- ]2 V& T
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"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"9 x0 N% P+ ~' @* `4 [* E
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"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." . u1 U5 X* X6 U/ d9 L 1 m9 `) G& d# _' e5 z) ^1 Q, X! f4 T# a( ^There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.; f( k8 I! E( H( Z$ _
^7 u1 w/ Z9 J) e; |Expensive lawsuits - ?" d, M; b9 \/ `0 w4 t6 {* r4 v
In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.1 h$ |) u9 s0 v* t: ~1 s/ m
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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." S, @0 [" l8 d
/ K4 n3 s! R w9 X7 WIt 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. 5 |$ g# f4 i% `* O : g# C5 U. `: A6 g% XNow, 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.: u! }; J% H6 x- \0 l' V
0 ?7 B* x& j% i }"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"8 Q3 B+ h- L t/ W
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I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. & y' A' S' K" Y# u, U : g1 [, ?% @, F4 aBut 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?! ?1 a! u6 S$ G& N0 A
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The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. # e5 E: g$ C1 f) g8 C" t2 U) r- n3 A! d! d4 n) W0 i/ z$ Y
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.! u6 {* @4 ]. k9 E! C
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A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them./ s! F/ U/ P! V7 o1 D
' N. a4 g q9 ]4 w4 d7 \; vThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants., r) S3 ?: M' b3 m# b# _ S
5 Z( G r; |) r' |* n+ o! uThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. , Z" |6 k% x2 n* U% z6 \0 d Q! F( O# l7 o
I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.+ i) T* ~" p I% e1 K( ^$ O
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Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004