Fackham Hall – This Brisk, Witty Parody of Downton Abbey Which Is Delightfully Lightweight.
Maybe the sense of uncertain days pervading: following a long period of inactivity, the comedic send-up is staging a return. The past few months witnessed the re-emergence of this lighthearted genre, which, when done well, mocks the pretensions of overly serious genre with a barrage of heightened tropes, physical comedy, and dumb-brilliant double entendres.
Frivolous times, so it goes, beget self-awarely frivolous, gag-packed, pleasantly insubstantial fun.
The Latest Entry in This Absurd Wave
The most recent of these silly send-ups comes in the form of Fackham Hall, a parody of Downton Abbey that pokes fun at the highly satirizable self-importance of gilded English costume epics. The screenplay comes from British-Irish comedian Jimmy Carr and directed by Jim O'Hanlon, the movie finds ample of material to draw from and uses all of it.
From a ridiculous beginning to a preposterous conclusion, this amusing upper-class adventure packs each of its hour and a half with puns and routines that vary from the childish all the way to the authentically hilarious.
A Mimicry of The Gentry and Staff
Much like Downton, Fackham Hall offers a caricature of extremely pompous the nobility and very obsequious staff. The plot focuses on the feckless Lord Davenport (brought to life by a wonderfully pretentious Damian Lewis) and his anti-reading wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). After losing their male heirs in various unfortunate mishaps, their plans now rest on marrying off their offspring.
One daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has achieved the aristocratic objective of an engagement to the right close relative, Archibald (a perfectly smarmy Tom Felton). Yet once she withdraws, the burden shifts to the unmarried elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), who is a spinster of a woman" and and holds radically progressive beliefs regarding female autonomy.
Where the Comedy Lands Most Effectively
The parody is significantly more successful when satirizing the stifling expectations imposed on early 20th-century ladies – a subject often mined for po-faced melodrama. The trope of proper, coveted femininity offers the richest comic targets.
The storyline, as is fitting for a deliberately silly spoof, is of lesser importance to the gags. The co-writer keeps them arriving at a consistently comedic pace. Included is a killing, a bungled inquiry, and a star-crossed attraction between the charming street urchin Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.
A Note on Frivolous Amusement
The entire affair is in lighthearted fun, though that itself imposes restrictions. The heightened absurdity characteristic of the genre can wear over time, and the mileage for this specific type runs out in the space between sketch and feature.
Eventually, you might wish to retreat to a realm of (at least a modicum of) logic. But, it's necessary to applaud a wholehearted devotion to the craft. In an age where we might to entertain ourselves to death, we might as well see the funny side.
