A Look at Fackham Hall – This Rapid-Fire, Witty Downton Abbey Spoof Which Is Delightfully Ephemeral.
It could be the notion of an ending era in the air: subsequent to a lengthy span of inactivity, the comedic send-up is enjoying a resurgence. This summer witnessed the revival of this lighthearted genre, which, when done well, mocks the self-importance of excessively solemn genres with a torrent of pitched clichés, sight gags, and ridiculously smart wordplay.
Unserious eras, apparently, create an appetite for knowingly unserious, joke-dense, welcome light amusement.
The Newest Offering in This Silly Resurgence
The most recent of these goofy parodies is Fackham Hall, a parody of Downton Abbey that needles the very pokeable self-importance of opulent UK historical series. The screenplay comes from British-Irish comedian Jimmy Carr and directed by Jim O'Hanlon, the movie finds ample of material to work with and wastes none of it.
From a ludicrous start and culminating in a ludicrous finish, this amusing silver-spoon romp crams all of its runtime with puns and routines running the gamut from the childish all the way to the truly humorous.
A Mimicry of The Gentry and Staff
Much like Downton, Fackham Hall offers a pastiche of very self-important rich people and excessively servile help. The narrative centers on the incompetent Lord Davenport (brought to life by an enjoyably affected Damian Lewis) and his book-averse wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). After losing their four sons in separate tragic accidents, their hopes are pinned on finding matches for their offspring.
One daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has achieved the family goal of betrothal to the suitable close relative, Archibald (a wonderfully unctuous Tom Felton). However once she withdraws, the pressure shifts to the unattached elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), who is a "dried-up husk already and and holds unladylike notions about a woman's own mind.
Where the Comedy Lands Most Effectively
The parody is significantly more successful when sending up the oppressive social constraints imposed on Edwardian-era females – a topic often mined for po-faced melodrama. The trope of proper, coveted womanhood supplies the best material for mockery.
The storyline, as is fitting for a purposefully absurd send-up, takes a back seat to the bits. The co-writer serves them up arriving at a pleasantly funny pace. There is a murder, a farcical probe, and a star-crossed attraction involving the plucky street urchin Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.
A Note on Lighthearted Fun
The entire affair is in lighthearted fun, though that itself has limitations. The dialed-up absurdity of a spoof may tire after a while, and the comic fuel on this particular variety runs out at the intersection of sketch and feature.
After a while, audiences could long to retreat to a realm of (at least a modicum of) logic. But, you have to applaud a wholehearted devotion to the craft. If we're going to entertain ourselves to death, let's at least laugh at it.
