Forbidden feelings surface when a stranger enters the life of a devoted widow in Hong Kong's original art house masterpiece, fully restored and resurrected for a new generation of cinephiles.
One of the earliest examples of Hong Kong art-house cinema, this pioneering film broke barriers for women in filmmaking.
The Arch 1698
董夫人 Dǒng fūrén
Madam Tung (Lisa Lu) is a widow who lives an upstanding life, caring for her daughter and ailing mother-in-law. Her devotion to the town and to her family is being honored in the form of an arch being built by the local community.
When army officer, Captain Yang, takes up board at her residence, she is immediately drawn to his good looks and chivalrous nature. Although their mutual attraction is apparent, Madam Tung's sense of morality and devotion to her late husband prevent her from pursuing a closer bond, and her refusal to reciprocate leads Captain Yang to entertain the affections of her daughter, Wei-Ling.
Returning to cinemas in a fully restored version assembled from its only surviving materials, Tang Shushuen's 1968 masterpiece was years ahead of its time. Predating the Hong Kong new wave, it helped pave the way for art house film and future generations of female directors in Hong Kong. Adapted from a seventeenth century Chinese folktale which explored gender roles in traditional Chinese culture, the film's themes of morality versus longing and desire remain as resonant today as they were six decades ago.
– Jordan Salomen