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NBC News
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC News
HBO documentary ‘Enigma' explores transgender identity and legacy
'Enigma,' a documentary coming to HBO Tuesday, details the glamorous, complex and at times tragic stories of two longtime icons of the transgender community — though one of them has denied being transgender. The film dives into the history of Le Carrousel, a Parisian nightclub that became a safe space for transgender women to perform in the 1950s and was frequented by famed artists and entertainers, including Salvador Dali and Edith Piaf. April Ashley and Peki d'Oslo were two of the club's popular performers and also among the first trans women to have gender reassignment surgery, which Ashley, who died in 2021, discussed in archival interview footage in the film. Their paths diverged after they left Le Carrousel. Ashley became a model for Vogue until she was outed as trans in 1961 and then went through a public and contentious divorce with her husband in 1970. The trial led a judge to legally declare her sex as male, setting a precedent that for decades defined trans people's sex in the United Kingdom as their birth sex. Ashley, who did many public interviews about the case and her identity, became widely known as a trans rights icon. Peki D'Oslo, on the other hand, didn't use that name after leaving Le Carrousel. Those who worked with her said her name off the stage was Amanda Tap and that she changed her last name to Lear upon marrying a British architect in the '60s. For decades, Lear has faced questions about her identity, but she has always denied the connection and the idea that she is transgender. She has also denied knowing Ashley, who said they were close friends. In interviews with 'Enigma' director Zackary Drucker, Lear, now 85, maintained that the photos of D'Oslo that look nearly identical to her as a young model are not her, that she never worked at Le Carrousel, didn't know Ashley and is not transgender. Drucker said she decided to show the women's two stories side by side because Ashley's 'story shed so much light on Amanda's.' 'You see the scale of the resistance that April experiences, and the way that she's forever treated as an oddity because of her being so clear about who she was,' Drucker said, describing Ashley as 'a beacon of not being compromised by a world determined to disempower you.' On the other hand, Drucker said, as a trans woman herself, she has felt beholden to the trans community, and Lear's story is interesting to her because 'there's something fascinating about somebody who's like, 'No, I'm just going to be me. I'm going to create who I am from the ground up, and I have no tethers, no allegiance, there's no feeling of responsibility to past friendships, to historical facts.'' Drucker added, 'It's just one of many survival strategies for people like us.' A representative for Lear did not immediately return a request for comment. Drucker said telling Lear's story sensitively was 'a dance.' 'It was totally creating something that there has been no precedent for,' Drucker said. 'Amanda has been asked these questions before, but not in a compassionate way, and not from somebody who loves her.' Drucker said Lear was her 'original archetype' when she was 18 years old and had a sense that she was trans. She went to the library and printed out a photo of Lear and put it on her wall, 'realizing that I could potentially be a beautiful woman one day.' The questions Lear often faced about her birth sex were exploitative, Drucker said, and yet Lear would use them to her advantage to generate more attention and press for herself. For example, her 1980 song 'Fabulous (Lover, Love Me)' features the playful lyrics 'Surgeon built me so well nobody could tell that I once was somebody else.' 'She's used it, and that in and of itself is a lesson in navigating publicity and media,' Drucker said. 'She's kind of a master class in self-invention.' The documentary shows how Lear became a successful disco singer in the '70s and '80s and also developed a relationship with Dali. Ashley went on to open a successful restaurant in London, and the legal precedent set by her divorce case was later overturned by the U.K.'s Gender Recognition Act of 2004, which allowed trans people to change their sex on their birth certificate. Ashley was able to change her legal gender in 2005, just before she turned 70. 'She established the pillars that we stand on, of being unashamed of who you are and standing in your truth against all odds, even if you're swimming upstream,' Drucker said. The documentary also features interviews with former Le Carrousel performers now in their 80s, Marie-Pierre Pruvot, known as Bambi, and Carla Follis, who also goes by her stage name, Dolly Van Doll. Additionally, the film showcases burlesque artist and advocate Allanah Starr, who described Bambi as a mother figure, and London-based trans historian and activist Morgan M. Page. Drucker said she learned several lessons from speaking with Lear, including that 'to know thyself is the work of a lifetime.' The film features interviews with trans women across generations, and, as a result, Drucker said it offers powerful perspectives for trans people today as conservative leaders in the U.S. have enacted a historic number of measures to restrict trans rights. 'This moment will pass,' Drucker said. 'These women survived decades of opposition and resistance and were publicly humiliated over and over again. These women are monuments of resilience.' She added, 'We will find solutions, and the more we can look through time, the sharper our tools become.' 'Enigma' debuts Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max.
Tom's Guide
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
How to watch the documentary 'Enigma' online from anywhere
"Enigma" gets to the big questions at the heart of current debates about transgender identity and rights. It does this through the prism of iconic pioneers April Ashley, Amanda Lear and others and their point of contact at Le Carrousel, an underground Parisian nightclub where trans women enjoyed a safe space to express themselves in the 1950s, before bringing the story up-to-date today. Here's how you can watch "Enigma" online around the world and from anywhere with a VPN. "Enigma" premieres on Tuesday, June 24 at 9 p.m. ET/ PT on HBO and will also be available to stream at the same time on Max.• U.S. — HBO/Max/Max on Prime Video• CAN — Crave• AUS — Max• Watch anywhere — try NordVPN risk-free With archival TV interviews and footage, plus home movies, the lives and experiences of Ashley (Vogue model who went through very public divorce from minor member of aristocracy in the late 1960s) and Lear (the so-called 'White queen of Disco' in the 70s and early 80s) - in the main - are used as an avatar to show how far transgender politics has come. Not without much personal pain and suffering, Ashley emerged as a 21st century advocate for the Gender Recognition Act 2004 and was honored as a member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2012. Ashley died in 2021 but Lear continues to inspire as a performer and, as the publicity for the film puts it, "Define her own legacy." The two women had a strong relationship when they first met at La Carrousel but later fell out. There stories remain intertwined however. Read on and discover how you can watch "Enigma" online with all the streaming details you need below. "Enigma" premieres on Tuesday, June 24 at 9 p.m. ET/ PT on HBO and will be available to stream at the same time on Max. Max prices start at $9.99/month if you don't mind ads, going to $16.99/month for ad-free and $20.99/month if you want the option to watch content on up to four devices and in 4K. For even better value, you can pay for a whole year upfront and effectively get 12 months for the price of 10 on any of its tiers. HBO can also be added to OTT streaming services such as Amazon Prime Video. Traveling outside the States? You'll need to use a VPN to unblock Max when abroad. If you're traveling overseas and "Enigma" isn't airing where you're currently located, that doesn't mean you have to miss the show while you're away from home. With the right VPN (virtual private network), you can stream the show from anywhere. We've evaluated many options, and the best VPN you can get right now is NordVPN. It meets the VPN needs of the vast majority of users, offering outstanding compatibility with most devices and impressive connection speeds. You can try it risk-free for 30 days if you take advantage of NordVPN's no-quibble money-back guarantee. There's a good reason you've heard of NordVPN. We specialize in testing and reviewing VPN services and NordVPN is the one we rate best. It's outstanding at unblocking streaming services, it's fast and it has top-level security features too. With over 7,000 servers across 110+ countries, and at a great price too, it's easy to recommend. You can even get an Amazon gift card included if you purchase a select plan now. Get over 70% off NordVPN with this deal Using a VPN is incredibly simple. 1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite. 2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance, if you're visiting the U.K. and want to view a U.S. service, you'd select a U.S. server from the location list. 3. Sit back and enjoy the show. Head to your streaming service app — so Max, for example — and watch "Enigma" online from wherever you are in the world. "Enigma" premieres in Canada on Crave on Tuesday, June 24 at 9 p.m. ET/ PT. Crave subscriptions start at $9.99/month for its Basic plan (720p video, includes ads) all the way up to $22/month for Premium (ad-free, 4K, downloadable shows). However, right now you can pick up brilliant discounts for three months until July 7: Outside Canada right now? We recommend using NordVPN to watch your usual streaming services. There is no "Enigma" release date at the time of writing but, when it does, it will almost certainly be on Sky. Americans on vacation in the U.K. who want to watch via their usual domestic streaming platform need a good streaming VPN to log in back home. We recommend NordVPN. "Enigma" premieres in Oz on Max on Wednesday, June 25. Plans start with Basic with Ads at $11.99 per month, Standard at $15.99 per month and Premium at $21.99 per month. Those traveling outside of Oz can still watch the show from their usual domestic streaming platform with a VPN. We recommend NordVPN. Ashley married Hon. Arthur Corbett (later 3rd Baron Rowallan), heir of Lord Rowallan, in 1963 but the marriage soon deteriorated. A messy legal battle after Ashley had an affair saw her lawyers demanding maintenance payments in 1966 and Corbett responding a year later by filing suit to have the marriage annulled on the grounds that Ashley was male. It was granted in 1970 even though he had known about her history when they married. No, not right now. Those looking to watch "Enigma" will have to go Max (US & Aus) or Crave (Can). We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
