A Look at Fackham Hall – This Rapid-Fire, Funny Takeoff on Downton Which Is Delightfully Throwaway.
It could be the sense of uncertain days pervading: subsequent to a lengthy span of quiet, the parody is making a return. The recent season observed the re-emergence of this lighthearted genre, which, in its finest form, lampoons the pretensions of excessively solemn dramas with a torrent of pitched clichés, sight gags, and stupid-clever puns.
Frivolous times, so it goes, beget deliberately shallow, joke-dense, refreshingly shallow fun.
A Recent Addition in This Goofy Trend
The most recent of these absurd spoofs comes in the form of Fackham Hall, a parody of Downton Abbey that jabs at the highly satirizable pretensions of gilded UK historical series. The screenplay comes from stand-up performer Jimmy Carr and overseen by Jim O'Hanlon, the film has a wealth of material to mine and exploits every bit of it.
Opening on a absurd opening all the way to its outrageous finale, this amusing silver-spoon romp crams every one of its hour and a half with puns and routines that vary from the puerile to the authentically hilarious.
A Pastiche of Aristocrats and Servants
Similar to Downton, Fackham Hall offers a pastiche of very self-important the nobility and very obsequious servants. The narrative centers on the feckless Lord Davenport (played by an enjoyably affected Damian Lewis) and his literature-hating wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). Having lost their children in a series of tragic accidents, their aspirations fall upon marrying off their daughters.
The younger daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has secured the family goal of a promise to marry the appropriate close relative, Archibald (an impeccably slimy Tom Felton). But when she pulls out, the onus transfers to the unmarried elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), considered an old maid of a woman" and and possesses radically progressive notions concerning women's independence.
Where the Humor Works Best
The film fares much better when satirizing the oppressive social constraints forced upon Edwardian-era ladies – a topic typically treated for self-serious drama. The stereotype of respectable, enviable ladylike behavior supplies the most fertile punching bags.
The plot, as one would expect from a purposefully absurd spoof, is of lesser importance to the bits. The writer keeps them maintaining an amiably humorous clip. There is a homicide, a bungled inquiry, and a star-crossed attraction between the plucky thief Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.
Limitations and Lighthearted Fun
It's all in the spirit of playful comedy, but that very quality has limitations. The dialed-up foolishness of a spoof may tire over time, and the mileage in this instance diminishes somewhere between a skit and a full-length film.
At a certain point, audiences could long to return to the world of (very slight) logic. Yet, you have to respect a wholehearted devotion to the artform. In an age where we might to distract ourselves unto oblivion, let's at least see the funny side.
