Flying Padre (EOTWS)

End Of The Week Shorts #2 extract: Flying Padre (1951)

An interesting early film of Stanley Kubrick, Flying Padre is (kind of) a documentary about a priest in New Mexico that has to use a plane to tend to and assist his commune. In this short documentary, we see key themes, motifs and techniques that are sprinkled throughout Kubrick's filmography. The most stark of these would be the focus on technology, Kubrick's framing and also his camera movement (both of which are a little rough). In this short, we also see some pretty unfamiliar themes too; those being a focus on religion and a warm-hearted hero - something you certainly will struggle to find in the likes of A Clockwork Orange, 2001, Full Metal Jacket or Eyes Wide Shut. 

Ultimately, this is a very clearly staged narrative that doesn't capture a genuine documentary feel, and so is just a nice bit of incite into a master's career.