A Look at Fackham Hall – This Brisk, Humorous Parody of Downton Abbey That's Pleasantly Ephemeral.
Maybe the notion of uncertain days in the air: following a long period of quiet, the comedic send-up is making a resurgence. This summer observed the rebirth of this lighthearted genre, which, in its finest form, lampoons the self-importance of overly serious genres with a torrent of heightened tropes, physical comedy, and dumb-brilliant double entendres.
Unserious periods, it seems, give rise to deliberately shallow, gag-packed, welcome light entertainment.
The Newest Entry in This Absurd Trend
The latest of these silly send-ups arrives as Fackham Hall, a takeoff on the British period drama that pokes fun at the easily mockable self-importance of wealthy British period dramas. The screenplay comes from UK-Irish comic Jimmy Carr and directed by Jim O'Hanlon, the feature has a wealth of source material to draw from and uses all of it.
From a ludicrous start all the way to its ludicrous finish, this enjoyable silver-spoon romp packs each of its runtime with jokes and bits that vary from the juvenile all the way to the genuinely funny.
A Mimicry of Upstairs, Downstairs
Much like Downton, Fackham Hall delivers a caricature of extremely pompous the nobility and overly fawning servants. The narrative centers on the incompetent Lord Davenport (portrayed 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 tragic accidents, their plans now rest on securing unions for their offspring.
The younger daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has achieved the dynastic aim of betrothal to the appropriate first cousin, Archibald (a wonderfully unctuous Tom Felton). However when she pulls out, the pressure shifts to the unattached elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), considered an old maid already and and possesses unladylike ideas about women's independence.
Its Laughs Works Best
The spoof fares much better when sending up the suffocating expectations forced upon pre-war women – a subject typically treated for self-serious drama. The stereotype of idealized femininity provides the best punching bags.
The storyline, as befitting a deliberately silly spoof, is of lesser importance to the bits. The writer serves them up maintaining an amiably humorous pace. There is a killing, an incompetent investigation, and a star-crossed attraction involving the roguish pickpocket Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.
Limitations and Frivolous Amusement
Everything is in lighthearted fun, however, this approach comes with constraints. The heightened absurdity inherent to parody might grate quickly, and the comic fuel in this instance expires at the intersection of a skit and feature.
At a certain point, you might wish to return to stories with (very slight) reason. But, it's necessary to admire a genuine dedication to the craft. In an age where we might to amuse ourselves unto oblivion, let's at least see the funny side.
