A Look at Fackham Hall – A Brisk, Humorous Parody of Downton Abbey Which Is Refreshingly Throwaway.
It could be the sense of an ending era in the air: following a long period of inactivity, the comedic send-up is making a return. The past few months saw the rebirth of this playful category, which, at its best, skewers the self-importance of pompously earnest dramas with a torrent of pitched clichés, sight gags, and ridiculously smart wordplay.
Playful times, it seems, give rise to self-awarely frivolous, gag-packed, pleasantly insubstantial fun.
The Latest Entry in This Absurd Trend
The newest of these goofy parodies comes in the form of Fackham Hall, a parody of Downton Abbey that pokes fun at the very pokeable pretensions of wealthy UK historical series. Penned in part by UK-Irish comic Jimmy Carr and helmed by Jim O'Hanlon, the film has plenty of source material to mine and uses all of it.
From a ridiculous beginning and culminating in a outrageous finale, this enjoyable silver-spoon romp packs all of its runtime with jokes and bits running the gamut from the childish to the truly humorous.
A Pastiche of The Gentry and Staff
Similar to Downton, Fackham Hall delivers a caricature of overly dignified aristocrats and very obsequious staff. The plot centers on the incompetent Lord Davenport (brought to life by an enjoyably affected Damian Lewis) and his literature-hating wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). Having lost their male heirs in various unfortunate mishaps, their plans are pinned on finding matches for their offspring.
The younger daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has secured the aristocratic objective of an engagement to the suitable kinsman, Archibald (a wonderfully unctuous Tom Felton). However when she backs out, the burden shifts to the single elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), described as an old maid already and and possesses dangerously modern ideas regarding female autonomy.
The Film's Laughs Works Best
The spoof achieves greater effect when joking about the oppressive norms imposed on pre-war women – an area often mined for po-faced melodrama. The stereotype of respectable, enviable femininity supplies the best comic targets.
The plot, as is fitting for a deliberately silly spoof, is of lesser importance to the gags. The writer delivers them maintaining an amiably humorous clip. Included is a murder, an incompetent investigation, and a forbidden romance between the roguish pickpocket Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.
The Constraints of Pure Silliness
It's all in lighthearted fun, however, this approach has limitations. The dialed-up foolishness of a spoof might grate quickly, and the entertainment value on this particular variety expires in the space between sketch and a full-length film.
At a certain point, you might wish to go back to a realm of (very slight) logic. Yet, one must applaud a wholehearted devotion to this type of comedy. In an age where we might to amuse ourselves unto oblivion, let's at least laugh at it.
