Flying Padre (1951)

Name: Flying Padre
Released: 1951-03-23
Rating: 2.6

1951-03-23 • 9 min • ⭐ 5.1/10

Title: Flying Padre

Original Title: Flying Padre

Release Date: 1951-03-23

Status: Released

Rating: 5.1/10 (from 134 votes)

Language: EN

Genres: Documentary

Production Companies: RKO Radio Pictures

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.