Dark Semester

Tu Cheng Kang (Guan Shan) teaches at the Ta Tap Middle School where pupils are delinquent. Tu’s class is the worst. As the headmaster and his fellow teachers are unable to cope with the unruly students, Tu is determined to win them over with kindness. He fails initially but does not despair. Kao Te Sheng (Chuen Yuen), nicknamed the One Eyed Dragon, is the chief troublemaker and leader. When Kao’s father, a coolie, faints at the wharf from over work, Tu takes him to the hospital and befriends him. The old man does not realize Tu is his son’s teacher and neither does Te Sheng realize that his teacher had saved his father, he continues to oppose Tu.

Directed by Wu Chia-Hsiang, Dark Semester leans on a strong ensemble — Guan Shan, Margaret Hsing Hui, Li Hsiang-Chun — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1969.