3 _. k( K$ Y1 [; F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。 + L4 b w+ `* I. ?5 }+ t4 _3 K/ I6 V, O5 Z6 h- f. s
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 C+ X D/ c0 ^7 Q1 w# d
不戴安全套的权利: ]9 u. E' m! ?7 [ @( m e
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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。 ! `$ g2 k: x" W/ R9 a. W& C4 v) n& }% N/ M
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 K) H$ y8 E1 _% u- j. d 2 d4 s& C: S; ~ i# x# D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。2 B7 `9 b6 \7 m% k# p1 M
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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? $ a# t. i$ z. b. b. q % n) n# z# S' O* 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。) V' u% S `0 v& }% d" n1 ]
, m7 U2 e7 m) |4 e, K. O' a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。 ( P! k/ \) H: f ! U$ k* l; |( J3 @8 [+ d1 j一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。0 W3 F6 m, o p
H! B: b) J3 I l* k( L) k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。 " q8 b2 F! Y+ \) l6 \$ |, X ( x7 t; T! T1 Q7 c% ~2 x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 c" }6 u+ @8 [" p ; k% J8 k( w* I) p7 h0 a: _/ n/ U 9 ]! _4 X8 R1 o$ C- Z1 ]! Y5 D% ^Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles & a$ \; d. v, J- H
) _: e1 ?# l6 ]) `8 K4 H4 YCalifornia'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 E8 R% B" [( T3 ~& E4 V . L( P( w( n5 g6 A* n) }Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles./ w& _( J6 ^4 y; @* {, E0 z# k0 b
8 o1 [4 s6 K) {7 ^I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.- ^* `+ k+ Z$ [5 o& r
/ Z" m1 q' |: Z |" x; v* V$ C0 L5 Q! kWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. 0 ^7 \" z1 _( M D4 M' @# p+ Q9 I# C1 j
The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. + [% L' O+ m/ M% g+ ^2 A9 e t Y& C4 t! c' f% C! E' l
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. / U d6 i" ~# T. f$ F6 D' f8 o# v" ]: {
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. ; [4 x0 L7 U. L0 x0 i( [( G- d; L" j& K2 [0 t
Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. D" v* q# ?2 \% A : P) e; m6 ]# e4 t* nFantasy. T+ {& Y: S6 k* @1 F/ H
6 J+ b1 u0 u! R7 F5 ^/ t. E1 XThe 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. " X5 y! ~8 t7 y, Y# c# ]9 x7 R, q, _" b4 t1 e E
The problem, increasingly, is revenue.3 y+ Q: U6 _! d8 X
4 a4 S7 \( s' n7 c, pLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. 6 _/ I& m- y$ J" Q5 M- B2 X0 m& m- C7 W7 I7 _+ C4 b" c q5 w/ g a
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.3 ^1 n* i; g- g, c. x' C
, l9 v) i- A% b2 P3 AAnd the economic downturn does not help. " V5 P) Y# m u1 R* P: I' E% V9 G8 E9 ], a8 [# \& c4 n. \
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. ; \1 R+ U& ?; ]# t 8 B* k3 S. f; w' D+ U$ G% gThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.# S+ g" I( g7 n8 a: y+ O
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For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. " V. d% c# X7 a& D; P7 Y8 v $ j& @4 o# n0 I+ H( R% RHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.. }! h0 F4 z* z# E* ~
1 ^2 I0 H* h7 N) L$ `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.8 ]& ?- p, g2 j1 c
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Gonorrhoea ( L( I8 Y7 L, ?$ a, H; P" y3 x) Z- v, v, F$ c) t
Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.1 L/ c7 N* X }7 X5 D$ r8 n
- c/ E3 F8 E( ~8 C; J4 m" AA college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. ( C- d4 F6 |2 l+ |$ U2 U( [" p / [3 ~, h7 }1 ^7 @( \% _She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. ; D) ^3 e( f6 C( M4 A, _; D# \, v- ~$ M) W* H
"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" , u7 e( l( t7 o! F. V/ T; y) {. x3 P: 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. 7 t; d. x- @5 X( p: M ' l- S4 s2 K1 D1 o5 A2 MEach day would be 15 hours long.9 e( k" ?3 `0 w7 g: e+ W
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"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.3 z0 l! @, F0 O; |2 b
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"You get used to it," she smiled. 5 L ^: o# ^6 ?) O0 [1 b4 ^+ x & `) E) w, W0 v2 O"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" * K+ g) C1 \* q7 i9 U . s- \' ]! b( w1 n+ y7 U2 b"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." / n/ a# ^ a4 r/ \ ; l k3 Z/ X' D8 AThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.$ ] i6 s5 P& _. q( L4 h4 R
0 u4 J4 p9 W- J+ YExpensive lawsuits4 Z0 _" |; {' |. i( d; v' w" l
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In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.; D" w0 k9 C3 k8 F4 x
- }5 C' o6 |( ~) rA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. 0 n% N" f" M( p2 p' Y" j + S, C2 W* g9 S$ @5 }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. 4 k- J( q4 o/ q! t3 }/ C7 M2 T+ W6 W" {" F+ B
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.' d, c5 k, Z: @) J. h" @+ L4 P
% k% V7 I3 y3 o. I2 b& L$ d"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" 6 A4 h b! E8 l* E. v0 y ! J! e* f* K. K+ NI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. 4 g- o- w: }: F/ [ 4 q6 @8 m2 h/ z. t. tBut 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?* C! d! f; l4 N2 P. |; f* |3 p
5 ]3 V" u8 h, L" qThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.6 }+ o% i' F; D4 i# S" J
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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.- C) m5 z) y9 z
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A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.) N" ]% M. U j( J
5 \' f1 j7 D6 u" k! ]The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.8 n' Z7 ]* Q2 o$ I9 _2 r8 X: i
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That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.% y, I. b$ M9 B& m* w8 n
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I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. a3 V" ]- a. C4 o8 R) S
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Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004