Scripted, edited, and directed by T’ang Shushuen, The Arch was hailed as a classic soon after its release. Considered one of the earliest art-house films and independent productions from Hong Kong, T’ang was deeply involved in every aspect of the production, from fundraising to casting and assembling the crew. Premiering at the 1968 San Francisco Film Festival, it was subsequently screened at several European film festivals before being released theatrically in Hong Kong in 1970. The restoration of the film has just recently been shown in Cannes Classics in May 2025, which signals a return to the Cannes Film Festival after 56 years.

Madam Tung (Lisa Lu), a devoted widow, is to be honoured by the court with the establishment of a chastity archway in her name. However, she finds herself developing feelings for Captain Yang (Roy Chiao), who is staying in her study, for whom her daughter (Hilda Chou) also harbours affection. The Arch perfectly combines traditional Chinese aesthetics with the aesthetics of European cinema to examine gender roles in traditional Chinese society. Its daring experimental spirit, exemplified by the innovative use of dissolves, superimpositions, freeze frames, and repeated shots, was ahead of its time and uniquely significant in Chinese-language cinema.

Restored in 4K by M+ in 2025. The original black-and-white 35mm negatives of the film have been lost. The restoration was made using extant materials from 1968, including a 35mm release print preserved at the University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, and a 35mm release print preserved and scanned at the BFI National Archive. The digital restoration was undertaken at Silver Salt Restoration.

The Arch is one of the films under ‘M+ Restored’, an initiative supported by CHANEL.

The screening on 4 October will be followed by a talk with the director of The Arch T’ang Shushuen and actress Hilda Chou, moderated by Li Cheuk-to, M+ Curator-at-large of Hong Kong Film and Media. This talk will be held in Cantonese.

The screening on 18 October will be followed by a talk with cinematographer Henry Chung, moderated by Li Cheuk-to, M+ Curator-at-large of Hong Kong Film and Media. This talk will be held in Cantonese.

T’ang Shushuen (b. 1938, Hong Kong) grew up in Hong Kong and graduated from the University of Southern California Department of Cinema. Her debut feature, The Arch (1968), was the first Hong Kong film produced outside the mainstream film industry and also the first film to be independently released in Hong Kong. It was the first Hong Kong film to be shown at European and American film festivals, where it received much critical acclaim. After The Arch, T’ang made three more films—China Behind (1974), Sup Sap Bup Dup (1975), and The Hong Kong Tycoon (1979). In 1975, she founded the film publication Close Up, which later became Film Biweekly. She relocated to the United States in 1979.