Diamond Head is a film starring Charlton Heston

Charlton Heston

Charlton Heston was an American actor of film, theatre and television. Heston is known for heroic roles in films such as The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, El Cid, and Planet of the Apes...

, Yvette Mimieux

Yvette Mimieux

Yvette Carmen Mimieux is a retired American movie and television actress.-Early life and career:Yvette Mimieux was born in Los Angeles, California, to a French father and Mexican mother, Carmen Montemayor...

, George Chakiris

George Chakiris

George Chakiris is an American-Greek dancer, singer and actor.-Early life:Chakiris was born in Norwood, Ohio, to Steven and Zoe Chakiris, immigrants from Greece. Chakiris studied at the American School of Dance....

, and James Darren

James Darren

James William Ercolani , known by his stage name James Darren, is an American television and film actor, television director, and singer.-Career:...

, directed by Guy Green, and released by Columbia Pictures

Columbia Pictures

Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...

. The original music score was composed by John Williams

John Williams

John Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T...

, Hugo Winterhalter

Hugo Winterhalter

Hugo Winterhalter was an American musician.An easy listening arranger and composer, Winterhalter was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Mount St. Mary's near Emmitsburg, Maryland in 1931, where he played saxophone for the orchestra and sang in two of the choirs...

 composed the theme, and Darren sang the title song. The soundtrack album was released by Colpix Records (CP 440).

Plot summary

Richard "King" Howland is a swaggering bigot land-baron living on the Big Island of Hawaii. He objects when his sister, Sloan Howland, announces she plans to marry Paul Kahana, a native Hawaiian, even though Howland is having a torrid affair with an Asian woman, Mai Chen. During Sloan and Paul's engagement party, Mai Chen's brother attacks Howland with a knife. Paul tries to break up the fight and is killed. Bitter at Howland for Paul's death, Sloan runs off to Honolulu where she is taken in by Paul's brother Dean and his family.

Meanwhile, Mei Chen gives birth to Howland's child but dies during childbirth. Ever the rabid racist, Howland refuses to accept the child and Sloan takes it upon herself to care for the baby. After an angry fight with Sloan and Dean, Howland is confronted with a personal dilemma — whether to continue on with his close-minded ways or to welcome his newborn son into his family.

Although the story is based on the novel by Peter Gilman, the screenplay by Marguerite Roberts makes several significant changes in Gilman's story. Several characters are eliminated—including Howland's father, Howland's wife, and his hapa haole (half-Hawaiian/half Caucasian) half-brother—and Roberts also changed the ending of the story.

Main cast

Actor	Role
Charlton Heston Charlton Heston Charlton Heston was an American actor of film, theatre and television. Heston is known for heroic roles in films such as The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, El Cid, and Planet of the Apes...	Richard "King" Howland
Yvette Mimieux Yvette Mimieux Yvette Carmen Mimieux is a retired American movie and television actress.-Early life and career:Yvette Mimieux was born in Los Angeles, California, to a French father and Mexican mother, Carmen Montemayor...	Sloan Howland
George Chakiris George Chakiris George Chakiris is an American-Greek dancer, singer and actor.-Early life:Chakiris was born in Norwood, Ohio, to Steven and Zoe Chakiris, immigrants from Greece. Chakiris studied at the American School of Dance....	Dr. Dean Kahana
France Nuyen France Nuyen France Nuyen is a French actress.-Biography:Nuyen was born in Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France. Her mother was French, her father Vietnamese. During World War II, her mother and grandfather were persecuted by the Nazis for being Gypsies...	Mai Chen
James Darren James Darren James William Ercolani , known by his stage name James Darren, is an American television and film actor, television director, and singer.-Career:...	Paul Kahana
Aline MacMahon Aline MacMahon Aline MacMahon was an American actress. Her career began on stage in 1921. She worked extensively in film and television until her retirement in 1975. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Dragon Seed .-Early life:Aline Laveen MacMahon was born...	Kappa Lani Kahana
Elizabeth Allen Elizabeth Allen Elizabeth Allen, Eliza Allen, Liz Allen or Beth Allen may refer to:*Eliza Allen Houston , first wife of Tennessee governor Sam Houston*Eliza Allen Starr , American artist known for her Catholic art...	Laura Beckett
Vaughn Taylor Vaughn Taylor Vaughn Joseph Taylor is an American golfer who turned professional in 1999.Taylor was born in Roanoke, Virginia but was raised in Augusta, Georgia from infancy. After attending Hephzibah High School, he played golf for Augusta State University where he was an honorable mention All-American his...	Judge James Blanding
Philip Ahn	Mr. Immacona
Edward Mallory Edward Mallory Edward Mallory was an American actor, best known for his role as Dr...	Robert Parsons