/ }0 E6 W& v. |* u9 s但是,电影业坚持说,演员带安全套会扫观众的兴。他们说,观众不愿意看,安全套等于扼杀观众的幻想。+ B( {8 f0 L& c' E- [; ?: |! s
“没什么大不了的”$ d; |, w2 R5 h! _7 J4 J
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重返《星际迷航》的拍摄现场,我和主要演员之一宝碧·斯塔尔聊了起来。宝碧是大学毕业生,以前是国家级游泳运动员,专业的双簧管手。短短的27年,她的一生真可是阅历丰富。 " R% F- a& S) s* d % Q5 V6 V5 W( R' W/ f/ N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”?2 g* G2 |+ \8 `1 S
: ~% e% v0 N4 `4 U, E7 D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。0 h& Y* R. h1 V4 @" y$ L0 o
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我说,“你一定很累吧”?她微笑着回答说,“习惯了”。. g4 ?& Y: k% e0 C7 h
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我接着问,“那么,健康风险呢?你经常被感染吗”? : ]1 d8 Y% C$ O3 V1 {; F ; L9 h7 u0 o! |/ G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。” ! U# f! w3 f0 h. {8 a0 b) J( V: @9 P- U$ h, _ l
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。; c2 k) T1 ?9 y$ f& G
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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。4 g' x( ?+ x$ I
不戴安全套的权利 4 Z9 O) d: Q1 _ . j) p* ]% b7 K8 c& u, N) E% c+ N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。 + C8 w$ B# f$ `2 b% E. V8 n; b6 w0 N5 i. w/ @
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”? & G: W: X/ y/ a( z' Q7 y/ m2 Z h% h9 }4 |
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。 $ X% m; L2 s ]! h+ R3 d8 g2 Z, ] : b$ e& b0 s4 H! }- j$ U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?6 b% Y$ X/ v6 h6 q( g, S
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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。 5 ^3 u. X( T2 I5 l* W$ t' s) s2 Y* g! |3 A q! 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。 % x8 z3 u6 t, |1 p$ v# J* n' p: s$ u1 [+ l, V" \
一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。 A1 D& {& [) I/ I3 G$ {6 K( A/ R
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。5 A" U1 a, C8 {5 X
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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。 ) K) [6 [6 t& I; } ; N! R4 D+ g! K) d# ^5 j: O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……., i! V% \7 U& h! x5 ?. [, O
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Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 2 v0 q& T }* N2 q& B: h! W1 M% x" _3 M8 }
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.9 p' v$ T# d& R7 o
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Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. ) K. n% v% c) x+ T ?4 g8 R8 T * m2 B4 q+ {' l. _. kI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. y; x: ^2 @4 X n# d * R5 \, ^" e2 o; xWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. ! _! q* {/ n4 j- s- P " l- h6 f+ J1 V7 F9 `5 A) \! J3 TThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. " c& A0 j% T" G9 _/ T* q% ] 3 U/ l9 ^1 H% e1 j8 P/ Z/ ePerformers 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. " n; M" l2 S8 t( T& }# V6 U/ C% T2 i! j- ?# u
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 Q& P2 R, G4 S, e" o4 B
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Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.7 o9 x8 H; J$ o# @# q2 G
4 P$ E; P/ j4 o# dFantasy, C! L; u4 E& ?. p B
5 s5 R3 k, j, t; \9 `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. - ^2 D/ Z9 R" a0 g) G2 {' u ' C$ T1 O2 b u y" SThe problem, increasingly, is revenue. * B, l8 |* b: N, ]: S; ~ 5 E* H9 i) i+ N s; p' C# @Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. / Y. J) k% z: H% w$ P/ A" d5 I- [+ C
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.9 W2 x+ ~0 H: B) H
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And the economic downturn does not help.0 }7 c+ H+ @9 d0 ^2 j$ h
" E. y$ _* J, h( F. h5 T0 @"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.! m C( g+ a7 E8 i
$ n/ P# @0 `+ o/ {/ H" ?) [6 J/ IThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. - p1 m. D: u% }% k0 [- ^- B7 E! M2 A* `: e _, j$ p+ M: h
For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. # g# N4 s( N0 S4 \; u& A0 w6 ` D2 d5 q; |6 {0 |. c" P. k. P
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. : b3 T: d) o5 i7 n- W: S* y+ f- ~) M! D! v- S Y
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.' o5 r+ v/ _3 A9 {. e
. t2 Z" c+ U" O6 RGonorrhoea, D( }0 J+ p6 ]( h x5 D
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Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.0 s6 @+ M, Z% p( h2 n. e. C6 A
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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.3 |5 d0 m# S4 |: J+ e3 q/ X
3 q6 M) x& |2 `' F. H# b" \She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. ) y8 z: v" Y) h; V2 i3 S & W7 L0 B+ h7 i% X% \8 S* o) g4 ]"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" 5 {. v* G& S) V9 K# K 0 d% i- m" d# V( W7 J+ UHer 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. 3 ^5 ~$ ~* ~; k& z. {- {: s) M8 [ u4 {& h1 |* Y
Each day would be 15 hours long.$ {# ?1 ^1 E `0 Y( S9 u
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"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested., C& l U3 L$ j
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"You get used to it," she smiled.) v9 u4 r; |: U9 y0 U6 @
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"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?", ?' A9 V3 S5 Y9 ]
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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." . L$ U9 l# r4 ] ; X( Y7 k/ J1 P- f. e! pThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. " ], K* Q+ N1 T8 R0 O; M ; O$ _7 p* k- d2 o& B3 XExpensive lawsuits + ^) R; r' e: x. m8 N7 b: \ R1 a5 Y" V
In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.% K% q L* K/ ^* f/ t ]7 G
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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.2 r& E' G% @: h$ z0 g" x" u; ~5 s
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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.+ W" y3 D& G; Y7 ^0 {7 \
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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.7 h6 k3 c3 h/ F. s) K9 n
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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?": g6 L3 B: T7 q9 G( L
! t& C R: V- V- tI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.. n' @& I0 r) Z/ I. |- s. q
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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?; e, Q& K: ]8 `$ i5 f5 r# }3 s. y; @2 d8 j
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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. / {3 F6 L9 Q& r m9 V : h7 |, a1 R; Q+ i9 eIt 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. & n6 a/ A7 i' { 2 U' q+ l1 ?& A2 P& oA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.2 K- M5 t# K$ A3 u2 g4 C9 m3 Y$ ^2 F
/ v% B7 W: L6 h5 GThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. ! l- H$ R( U, P- c. r+ ] " `0 M, N8 L, \+ b; J( eThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.: f5 a- q( F: h% {. h
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I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. # j7 ~( t. H" r+ u+ c: ~6 D% o6 {# v2 P2 ^8 k' K ( G$ i& ]5 g0 `- L- H$ v1 K
4 n0 w2 V2 ?, k1 |: Y: e3 ^ - W0 p8 R$ j1 X) e) A0 hCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004