1949 independent film
A docu-drama based on actual events, "Lost Boundaries" tells the story of Scott Carter, an African American doctor who passed as white for 22 years in a small New
Hampshire town before his attempted enlistment during World War II revealed his secret.
Opening with his graduation from medical school and his marriage to another light-skinned Negro, the story follows his vain attempts to practice medicine, being
turned away from both white hospitals and black ones. With a baby on the way he makes the difficult
decision to pretend to be white for one year only, but inevitably the deception takes over his life.
The small independent film was conceived and executed by Louis De Rochemont, who put his career as a successful producer at
20th Century Fox aside to tackle this personal labor of love,
which was based on a Readers' Digest article written by the doctor's son. A wide net was put out to cast the lead, which was considered "risky" at that time. Mel Ferrer later claimed he sent his photo and resumé to
De Rochemont both because he felt deeply about the subject matter but also because as an "inactive" actor he had
no fear of type casting, even though his agent warned him against
signing.
His wife was portrayed by Beatrice Pearson, who was having a flurry of fame that year as
an Alan Ladd discovery. Because she was better known than Ferrer she was given top billing, but this proved to be her last film while it's generally considered Ferrer's first. The two Carter children - who also have to deal with the unexpected revelation of their heritage - are played by
Richard Hylton and Susan Douglas. De Rochemont filmed the movie in
his hometown of Portsmouth for authenticity and even used many local
residents as actors including his pastor who has the key role of the
minister who talks the town into standing by their beloved doctor.
Although somewhat dated now and under occasional criticism for not casting the lead roles as actual African Americans, the film has an honesty and integrity that
has withstood time. In interviews Mel Ferrer has always listed
this as his most significant film - the one in which he believed
deepest and is most proud to have made. He thinks of it as a breakthrough in American films and maintains it
helped President Truman lift the color ban on Naval officers.
The movie was an undeniable success in 1949 - hardly a blockbuster, but well reviewed, well received, and well attended,
topping the box office throughout the summer of 1949 and recouping five times its modest budget.
It won an award for best script at The International Cannes Film
Festival and both The New York Times and Time Magazine listed it in
their top 10 films of 1949. It made Mel Ferrer an overnight success and as a new leading man in his 30s, he was offered a bevy of interesting roles in
the immediate years to follow.
The film is readily available in VHS format, but it has never been released as a DVD.
