A Look at Fackham Hall – A Fast-Paced, Witty Downton Abbey Spoof Which Is Delightfully Throwaway.
It could be the feeling of an ending era pervading: following a long period of quiet, the parody is staging a resurgence. The past few months saw the rebirth of this unserious film style, which, when done well, lampoons the grandiosity of pompously earnest dramas with a barrage of heightened tropes, visual jokes, and dumb-brilliant double entendres.
Playful periods, so it goes, create an appetite for knowingly unserious, joke-dense, welcome light amusement.
The Newest Offering in This Goofy Resurgence
The latest of these silly send-ups comes in the form of Fackham Hall, a parody of Downton Abbey that pokes fun at the easily mockable self-importance of gilded UK historical series. The screenplay comes from British-Irish comedian Jimmy Carr and helmed by Jim O'Hanlon, the film has plenty of material to draw from and wastes none of it.
Starting with a absurd opening to a outrageous finale, this amusing upper-class adventure packs each of its 97 minutes with gags and sketches ranging from the juvenile all the way to the authentically hilarious.
A Pastiche of The Gentry and Staff
Much like Downton, Fackham Hall offers a pastiche of extremely pompous aristocrats and very obsequious servants. The narrative centers on the incompetent Lord Davenport (brought to life by a wonderfully pretentious Damian Lewis) and his book-averse wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). Following the loss of their children in a series of calamitous events, their aspirations are pinned on marrying off their two girls.
One daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has achieved the family goal of betrothal to the appropriate first cousin, Archibald (a wonderfully unctuous Tom Felton). Yet when she backs out, the pressure transfers to the unattached elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), described as an old maid at 23 and who harbors unladylike notions regarding female autonomy.
Its Humor Lands Most Effectively
The spoof fares much better when joking about the stifling norms placed on pre-war women – an area frequently explored for earnest storytelling. The archetype of idealized femininity provides the most fertile punching bags.
The narrative thread, as befitting a purposefully absurd spoof, is of lesser importance to the gags. Carr keeps them arriving at a pleasantly funny rate. Included is a homicide, an incompetent investigation, and an illicit love affair between the roguish pickpocket Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.
The Constraints of Frivolous Amusement
It's all in the spirit of playful comedy, though that itself has limitations. The heightened foolishness characteristic of the genre can wear quickly, and the comic fuel in this instance expires in the space between a skit and feature.
Eventually, one may desire to retreat to the world of (very slight) coherence. But, one must admire a genuine dedication to the craft. Given that we are to distract ourselves unto oblivion, let's at least see the funny side.
