A Look at Fackham Hall – A Rapid-Fire, Witty Takeoff on Downton Which Is Delightfully Throwaway.
Maybe the notion of uncertain days in the air: subsequent to a lengthy span of inactivity, the spoof is enjoying a resurgence. This summer saw the rebirth of this lighthearted genre, which, when done well, lampoons the grandiosity of overly serious dramas with a barrage of pitched clichés, physical comedy, and dumb-brilliant double entendres.
Playful times, apparently, give rise to knowingly unserious, joke-dense, welcome light fun.
The Latest Offering in This Goofy Resurgence
The latest of these goofy parodies comes in the form of Fackham Hall, a parody of Downton Abbey that pokes fun at the very pokeable airs of gilded English costume epics. The screenplay comes from UK-Irish comic Jimmy Carr and helmed by Jim O'Hanlon, the feature has a wealth of source material to work with and exploits every bit of it.
Opening on a ludicrous start all the way to its preposterous conclusion, this enjoyable silver-spoon romp crams each of its runtime with jokes and bits ranging from the childish to the authentically hilarious.
A Pastiche of Aristocrats and Servants
In the vein of Downton, Fackham Hall presents a caricature of extremely pompous rich people and excessively servile help. The story focuses on the feckless Lord Davenport (brought to life by a wonderfully pretentious Damian Lewis) and his anti-reading wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). Having lost their children in a series of calamitous events, their aspirations fall upon securing unions for their offspring.
The junior daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has achieved the family goal of an engagement to the right kinsman, Archibald (an impeccably slimy Tom Felton). Yet once she backs out, the onus falls upon the single elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), who is an old maid already and who harbors radically progressive beliefs regarding a woman's own mind.
Its Laughs Lands Most Effectively
The film fares much better when sending up the oppressive social constraints imposed on pre-war women – an area frequently explored for po-faced melodrama. The stereotype of proper, coveted womanhood offers the best comic targets.
The plot, as one would expect from an intentionally ridiculous parody, takes a back seat to the jokes. Carr serves them up coming at an amiably humorous rate. Included is a murder, an incompetent investigation, and a forbidden romance between the plucky pickpocket Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.
The Constraints of Lighthearted Fun
The entire affair is in lighthearted fun, though that itself comes with constraints. The dialed-up foolishness inherent to parody may tire quickly, and the mileage on this particular variety expires at the intersection of sketch and feature.
After a while, audiences could long to return to stories with (very slight) reason. Nevertheless, it's necessary to applaud a genuine dedication to this type of comedy. In an age where we might to entertain ourselves unto oblivion, let's at least laugh at it.
