Set in 17th century (Ming Dynasty) south China, The Arch tells of a young widow who suppresses her sexuality out of a sense of propriety and loyalty to her townspeople, who have erected an arch to honor her virtue. It is a film in which style incorporates theme, a complex interaction of passion and tradition. Filmed in Taiwan, The Arch was the first film of the California-trained woman filmmaker Shu Shuen; Les Blank co-edited the film, which was shot by the renowned Indian cinematographer Subrata Mitra. Essentially the first Chinese film to receive international acclaim, The Arch was accepted by many Western critics as a model of subtlety, soothing in its purity; Henry Miller called it “medicine for the West.” But the filmmaker herself notes, “Whatever the interpretation may be, the story is about a woman tormented and the effect of her inner conflicts upon the other characters.... I see in Madam Tung the helplessness of all of us...the ludicrousness of mankind, the futility of intelligence.... So what is there to offer as a comfort but tolerance...and compassion for each other's pain?”