A Look at Fackham Hall – This Brisk, Humorous Parody of Downton Abbey That's Pleasantly Lightweight.
Maybe the notion of end times in the air: subsequent to a lengthy span of inactivity, the parody is enjoying a comeback. This summer observed the re-emergence of this lighthearted genre, which, at its best, lampoons the grandiosity of excessively solemn genre with a flood of pitched clichés, physical comedy, and dumb-brilliant double entendres.
Playful times, so it goes, create an appetite for self-awarely frivolous, joke-dense, refreshingly shallow amusement.
The Latest Offering in This Goofy Trend
The latest of these absurd spoofs comes in the form of Fackham Hall, a parody of Downton Abbey that pokes fun at the easily mockable pretensions of opulent UK historical series. Penned in part by UK-Irish comic Jimmy Carr and overseen by Jim O'Hanlon, the film has a wealth of source material to mine and exploits every bit of it.
From a ridiculous beginning all the way to its ludicrous finish, this amusing aristocratic caper packs all of its hour and a half with gags and sketches ranging from the childish up to the genuinely funny.
A Mimicry of The Gentry and Staff
Similar to Downton, Fackham Hall delivers a caricature of very self-important aristocrats and excessively servile staff. The plot centers on the hapless Lord Davenport (portrayed by an enjoyably affected Damian Lewis) and his literature-hating wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). After losing their four sons in separate unfortunate mishaps, their plans are pinned on finding matches for their two girls.
One daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has accomplished the family goal of betrothal to the suitable kinsman, Archibald (a wonderfully unctuous Tom Felton). Yet once she backs out, the burden transfers to the single elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), considered an old maid at 23 and who harbors unladylike beliefs regarding female autonomy.
Its Comedy Succeeds
The spoof is significantly more successful when sending up the stifling social constraints forced upon early 20th-century women – a topic often mined for self-serious drama. The stereotype of idealized womanhood supplies the most fertile material for mockery.
The plot, as is fitting for a deliberately silly parody, is of lesser importance to the bits. The co-writer delivers them maintaining a pleasantly funny rate. The film features a killing, a bungled inquiry, and a forbidden romance featuring the plucky pickpocket Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.
Limitations and Lighthearted Fun
It's all in the spirit of playful comedy, but that very quality imposes restrictions. The heightened foolishness of a spoof might grate over time, and the entertainment value for this specific type runs out at the intersection of a skit and a full-length film.
Eventually, audiences could long to go back to a realm of (at least a modicum of) logic. Nevertheless, you have to respect a wholehearted devotion to this type of comedy. Given that we are to entertain ourselves unto oblivion, it's preferable to see the funny side.
