% ?% h% r: A% A* ~/ ~. c3 f1980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 U m- a: `( l# Q L/ i5 ~
不戴安全套的权利 ! Z7 `$ ]8 n8 P5 F" v, O! { + U2 a1 K5 X) I# i; X0 \9 R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。 0 ~8 L6 l' {) q v/ d 3 p) e t: Y# y* ]" W1 j8 E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”? ' V" L2 P* k; v6 G* o7 V u. z# V; T* [7 Q
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。 . U, R9 J q7 S" P+ n- I- D4 K7 R. Q: E0 _- Z# \
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? 9 k X+ ~! u6 N* K9 {) k2 s5 a1 Z% _, H1 [1 g
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。 G9 S1 ~; O K$ q
% ]# F* ?" H* v/ X* w& u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。 / M: _; A! \0 O5 o' L$ U* g9 z 3 N0 S2 a, W4 Q o5 C" [$ q一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。 $ w( w/ F' F+ Q! d+ Q2 U( M3 v 8 F3 z, I a- A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。 J4 V. D) ^2 u: x9 h o! H4 d2 o" X) E3 s) e! [4 o' i6 P
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。# L5 M2 q! y: ^$ y3 o. F
" ]/ Y( l9 \! a+ V$ M7 J: Y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……. * J% r3 {. q7 q% \ f& A " ?: d9 k# M$ m% K" @, z6 m6 A1 v1 p6 D! K2 D
Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles & V+ u' I7 V' s1 h' z& D1 |! P- A' P9 D8 ]
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.! N4 K3 j( M. o" O
+ k# L B* `9 J% J M$ r: ~7 e: `" ZLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles., \ e5 T( s, Y9 H1 X/ f4 ~7 A0 L
, V. Q( I0 G; R& v. FI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.8 _" E/ p- Q* [
1 @5 [, o# R! @+ E m# iWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. " A) q6 Z* F* X U( k8 u& w* i: N u4 v$ D8 C. i* G k( p5 X" h$ E
The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.- G+ f P1 J7 t, m6 D: u! K* Z9 W
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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.( S. X' o. S; N N. s
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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.& J+ ~5 R+ f# i0 @, h; g% r0 P. m0 W
1 o4 j3 z- b) D0 F0 @; o5 `Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.+ ?8 r4 _* V# f6 u, j0 n$ O/ q
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Fantasy 5 V9 }! j/ u+ r6 I N! X& g+ f. ]" A" R+ C
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 a. j& _ C7 i. n: L% p2 V
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The problem, increasingly, is revenue.' ^, ^) D0 s& N; y8 C! ~
7 h& w0 n. h+ h! R/ rLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. . }: W5 H" b% m5 [5 e " F, Q& k$ g/ N8 b9 G+ ~& ~DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. # a8 Y7 ~7 D0 G$ w" W4 \% j9 w# j8 p
And the economic downturn does not help. 0 U: C" q8 P% p, |. D0 G; p1 P3 k& X5 [# M$ F$ G% n
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. " K( O1 e1 t% v! c' m, s( I+ @ O8 H) t+ l& U8 z) e4 m4 w; W
The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.) _* c9 c9 M+ N: l) J! D' Z" R3 E: k
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For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. 5 O& H T; @2 F" H- b( H& G4 e% R1 h: X( `0 P6 t# l- n% O+ B
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. 5 N9 v! T% z0 b" T Q8 Z" L% W( J; P. Y0 ^" K
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. & v+ }, E5 \9 S( ~, T 3 K( h, W7 X$ ~) C' FGonorrhoea . x6 n/ w# ~5 t( M- j7 w . e- J, i; I6 Q) ]9 @+ FBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. * p; U& r; h4 p2 p( x' z9 N- Z2 e* ~0 Y7 }/ m+ J
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.* x: o: c) i% w- i
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She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. : y# a/ Z( D6 t: h ' S: g0 j, _: G" c* P2 l4 p"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"0 O( H( [0 O- \3 m* D0 ?
7 x2 B5 u6 I! q' {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. ; D: g2 n+ G3 t9 N7 ^$ g. B1 E$ ^5 a+ A+ {, o
Each day would be 15 hours long.8 e" }2 }% N/ Q2 u
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"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.5 B3 L* N& _" U( s2 ^9 x' I
. ?) }5 O, \* n"You get used to it," she smiled. & w; D6 m4 @6 l% n$ q U( P/ J. z! E% E: M
"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" 7 Q2 N9 r; s. f! G" m7 ] ) N' U1 m+ f/ P2 G"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 O: f$ {+ \. u1 g, I$ m: B: Q0 j& r
There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.0 W- w* s' h1 H
) E# p, c7 w7 m% C& VExpensive lawsuits ( P# {/ `/ M7 Y$ a; o+ r/ t& M1 @# k, K" L, D; _
In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.; \& U n4 E) o W
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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./ [" m" i4 O" A( V7 a
# T7 F6 h6 o/ k5 N) z* D! w5 R4 T$ }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. 3 `0 e( M) W6 B1 [* W y0 H; v# |2 J$ v: E- I) T7 Q Y) gNow, 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.4 X& b) | c ~9 x
* t* r# v2 V! Z# \& Y3 G"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" 9 s1 U4 T* R2 {0 {7 q/ O) y" r# y3 C1 [! C! M2 s& |
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.5 e' S9 p* h) ?; X1 k3 G% o) q% R5 @
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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? ; i7 @4 f; E$ G, `( h0 P, C$ X6 B+ p0 t/ W) a; C
The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. ; n" Z, i% |# }0 M; ~+ P8 n4 Q" G$ \' j& O+ \8 Q
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.0 {% y" j, ?8 [* o, E$ o
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A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. 3 @( G5 Q# i8 G% M9 f: ]( q2 S5 S% H! N( K+ E% k" x3 t
The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.. h0 U- `" M4 C# W8 z% M
. `9 O" u) P x3 X/ Y) TThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. . E' i |/ y1 o- t 3 f1 F( u; s7 |2 X& TI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.& A. d- ~8 Y l) O7 n" F
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+ g; i( F- R& i3 j( ?9 E 7 S6 x% K9 {: O Z/ Y- {5 cCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004