Flying Padre
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Produced by RKO Radio Pictures
A reverent, observational portrait of a priest's devotion and ingenuity in serving an isolated rural community, told with documentary clarity and quiet admiration.
Stanley Kubrick’s short documentary about Father Fred Stadtmueller, a Catholic priest serving a vast 4,000-square-mile parish in rural New Mexico. To reach his scattered congregation, he pilots his own Piper Cub aircraft, the Spirit of St. Joseph. Over two days, Kubrick follows the “flying padre” as he conducts Mass, mediates between quarreling children, attends a funeral, and airlifts a sick child to medical care—capturing both the challenges and quiet heroism of his daily mission.
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Like Flying Padre, But Less Popular
Same territory, far fewer people have seen it.
