The Four Diamonds
A boy's Arthurian allegory of his battle with cancer.
The Four Diamonds is a fantasy short story written in 1972 by Chris Millard, a 14-year-old boy who died of cancer shortly after completing it. The story inspired the Four Diamonds Fund, a charitable organization for childhood cancer, and was adapted into a Disney television movie in 1995.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Fantasy
- Drama
- Family
- Director
- Peter Werner
- Producer
- Joe Byrne
- Jean Higgins
- Jeb Rosebrook
- Screenplay
- Todd Robinson
- Story
- Christopher Millard
- Starring
- Tom Guiry
- Christine Lahti
- Kevin Dunn
- Jayne Brook
- Music
- Phil Marshall
- Cinematography
- Neil Roach
Facts from the source article.
Did You Know?
- Chris Millard wrote the story after his teacher allowed him to write something other than a vacation essay.
- The name Raptenahad is a play on 'rhabdomyosarcoma', the cancer Chris had.
- The film weaves stages of Chris Millard's real life with Arthurian parallels from his story.
Story
The story follows teenage squire Millard, who seeks to prove his knighthood for King Arthur before questing for the Holy Grail. He aims to liberate a distant land from the evil sorceress Raptenahad and her curses. Captured by Raptenahad, Millard repeatedly tries to escape and defeat her. The witch, admiring his courage, offers him a chance: collect the Diamonus Quadrus—the Four Diamonds of Courage, Wisdom, Honesty, and Strength—through difficult tasks. If he succeeds, he will be freed and her reign will end. Millard completes every challenge, enraging Raptenahad, who tries to destroy him on the final task. He overcomes all obstacles, the sorceress is no more, her curses lift, and Millard takes her castle as his own, beginning the story of Sir Millard.
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