! x1 }' `) t5 \' I- k* T1980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。8 [3 [! i9 @# j* O5 r
不戴安全套的权利 & Z' P9 L6 o9 P! X' i, A ) Q3 \6 C& j9 Y) z6 m5 h1 w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。 + D9 Q& ^* a" k, O% [: o3 C& b1 v( _. 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”?1 k' ~; T3 w; X8 z5 x
9 B9 p. A/ B3 ?, t" D X9 J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 P) [% L: e5 h. o) b, ]) Y* L/ `. n/ p% S1 d7 B2 V2 _
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?) G3 ]1 q1 I2 j7 d2 c
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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 i3 z7 K Y( v# y$ Y% D
0 c( @* p) D: `( a3 }" Y: o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。 ' A; T" e6 v/ j6 k7 o. @ 7 M# s) Z9 C9 g: w, I一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。 , w- X7 ~9 V L8 N & V/ @& W2 r& @2 [6 O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。, h8 Q& s2 a* M$ k/ l
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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。 . F& j1 d* y$ E / a' N( V! b+ V$ ]% ~- @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……." K Y- a* @+ y# |
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Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles ( _5 |+ |, C' v Z/ A u$ r: K - r( s) v& L, |9 m0 s$ f6 SCalifornia'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. 5 R- G& c0 T i( ^, P* o2 K* J# _& [3 C9 h0 S+ t4 m3 j
Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.7 J% X2 S) D3 U' X
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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., b; g0 T/ I$ P, X' J# V& D8 h
! p- I8 w" T, U% `What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. 3 d7 R+ J( b. z0 e/ Y2 C4 E" {5 o B( D1 v2 b
The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. / f- D9 W; _& ~& j" D: G) V6 M' q8 x: ]* l$ m6 R0 G
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.% o% y& ^6 {* C6 P% R
8 H5 u Q0 l2 @ h9 t/ \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 l# ~# J8 _% ]& I" J& B/ e; L9 j. j
1 i: k7 ~& S; E1 Z: q. v9 jOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. Q6 }4 R9 ~1 L; i& N+ [5 I
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Fantasy / j' R- [( F! r: J) F . z- c% O/ `2 H' o; h5 x; OThe 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./ q7 B8 c; L7 _) X; {: E1 V
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The problem, increasingly, is revenue.% W" \ }% f9 e- L8 w' v
2 t8 O( P& K5 I( E ^Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. {. W* _0 w' v% g& a/ T$ Y6 L6 _1 X0 Y- V8 u0 j# k* o, ^( F# W
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.: w0 }( i3 I' N. [9 [% l' h. a
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And the economic downturn does not help. % ~0 Y! |! z: R |5 }( k7 }/ L/ Z t! I7 Z
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. q. ~8 C6 P( R+ m N2 a% `
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The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. , B1 H/ {' r% c* a % M; E! q2 P7 w7 k' qFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. 0 j) U: A. F- A, c, p2 v# M! L: ~# f; Z q
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. 5 C' C1 f( e5 L- G( q! S- a. x- e* B5 P$ g' f# H/ G6 {
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. / N7 x n& z; W7 T' ? % _9 P' f: {+ g+ p- A% L- i9 C4 zGonorrhoea - |5 S- O; ~' n& s: b' C; C" W- [3 s f
Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. 2 O% L& m/ y# n9 g + q* \7 j& D6 m: tA college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.) Y5 a: l1 |+ t
/ y1 s3 L+ R( A$ {6 MShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.) a: \( V" n) C7 k
7 B! a6 F* p8 D% ^6 ?"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?", b! {8 v- j1 R* v& I) T+ e
# ^* r; r9 l M+ m. THer 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.0 K- J& T3 _* V
% g7 L6 ~5 L# S6 Q2 U. Y% mEach day would be 15 hours long. ' Q$ c5 D7 X% N6 u 4 n! Y9 i6 V: P; y: H3 p: u1 f"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. : N/ j( C; l/ h+ b( F5 B- K0 N1 u8 b9 N3 _4 {2 ~% P. C* G
"You get used to it," she smiled.' O0 a9 b+ n. T7 C
3 f2 ?0 w% \* a, J; {- B: a% x"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" 6 L8 _$ n5 ~8 ?* W" d5 \1 ` c 5 Z1 C% J/ S0 v n6 P"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." : T9 |0 N/ K1 }( ~5 r2 I) c$ ]; P2 I3 d) H# b5 M3 s
There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.' v. i; O$ G1 r9 I" m' W7 |
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Expensive lawsuits# D3 X$ q/ R0 b. z6 ^' z! z
2 H/ a$ s8 A- b% X _6 cIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. 5 [, T4 c" K' {6 y" K! j, O# N& X- r( H' r$ r4 c* G
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. F* F7 h/ T( f1 |
% f! U H' \5 SIt 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 g4 O3 J4 K) h. d5 W7 ^
$ S# o9 H! M% H9 R7 d dNow, 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 O7 O _& }5 Q a L( `/ B: J1 E0 ~8 x* s- ~0 a$ b
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?". p/ r" l4 V4 a `% V
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I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. $ O& K% g& f% `2 A 7 h' J8 f' G# U8 {9 HBut 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? ( f" j: p" d, i6 F+ d/ @. K 4 U9 }8 X5 F ^The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.. g* ^$ @) B- O" Q( o- C T
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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.1 H' Q2 t' V" l" R( r" p
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A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. & v1 T8 \3 u# ~+ F5 V0 G 3 v- E6 E& r2 X$ g% E6 Q6 o7 f9 vThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.( G+ S2 @4 A# ]
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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. , N2 W0 M, N) a) D% w 0 L, q6 P( V; c1 `2 S1 {I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.' G, J* D, \: n5 a9 G6 C$ o
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Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004