A Look at Fackham Hall – A Rapid-Fire, Funny Takeoff on Downton Which Is Pleasantly Lightweight.
It could be the sense of end times pervading: subsequent to a lengthy span of inactivity, the comedic send-up is enjoying a resurgence. This summer witnessed the re-emergence of this lighthearted genre, which, when done well, mocks the grandiosity of excessively solemn dramas with a torrent of heightened tropes, physical comedy, and stupid-clever puns.
Frivolous eras, so it goes, create an appetite for knowingly unserious, joke-dense, welcome light entertainment.
The Latest Entry in This Absurd Wave
The newest of these goofy parodies arrives as Fackham Hall, a Downton Abbey spoof that pokes fun at the highly satirizable self-importance of gilded British period dramas. Penned in part by stand-up performer Jimmy Carr and helmed by Jim O'Hanlon, the movie has a wealth of material to mine and exploits every bit of it.
From a ridiculous beginning to a ludicrous finish, this entertaining aristocratic caper packs all of its runtime with jokes and bits running the gamut from the juvenile to the truly humorous.
A Send-Up of Upstairs, Downstairs
Much like Downton, Fackham Hall presents a pastiche of overly dignified the nobility and overly fawning servants. The story centers on the feckless Lord Davenport (brought to life by an enjoyably affected Damian Lewis) and his literature-hating wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). After losing their children in various calamitous events, their aspirations now rest on securing unions for their daughters.
One daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has achieved the family goal of an engagement to the right close relative, Archibald (a perfectly smarmy Tom Felton). However when she pulls out, the burden transfers to the single elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), considered an old maid at 23 and and possesses dangerously modern ideas about women's independence.
Its Comedy Works Best
The spoof fares much better when satirizing the oppressive social constraints forced upon Edwardian-era females – a subject typically treated for self-serious drama. The archetype of idealized ladylike behavior supplies the most fertile comic targets.
The narrative thread, as one would expect from a deliberately silly spoof, is secondary to the gags. Carr keeps them maintaining an amiably humorous rate. Included is a killing, a bungled inquiry, and a forbidden romance involving the roguish thief Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.
The Constraints of Pure Silliness
Everything is in the spirit of playful comedy, though that itself imposes restrictions. The dialed-up absurdity characteristic of the genre might grate quickly, and the mileage on this particular variety expires in the space between sketch and feature.
After a while, you might wish to return to stories with (very slight) reason. But, you have to applaud a sincere commitment to the craft. Given that we are to amuse ourselves to death, it's preferable to see the funny side.
