Fackham Hall Review – A Rapid-Fire, Witty Parody of Downton Abbey That's Refreshingly Ephemeral.
Perhaps the notion of an ending era around us: after years of quiet, the comedic send-up is making a return. The past few months observed the rebirth of this unserious film style, which, at its best, mocks the pretensions of excessively solemn genre with a flood of heightened tropes, sight gags, and dumb-brilliant double entendres.
Frivolous times, so it goes, give rise to deliberately shallow, gag-packed, welcome light fun.
A Recent Addition in This Goofy Trend
The latest of these silly send-ups comes in the form of Fackham Hall, a parody of Downton Abbey that jabs at the very pokeable self-importance of opulent UK historical series. Penned in part by British-Irish comedian Jimmy Carr and directed by Jim O'Hanlon, the feature finds ample of material to mine and wastes none of it.
From a absurd opening all the way to its ludicrous finish, this entertaining aristocratic caper packs every one of its 97 minutes with puns and routines running the gamut from the childish all the way to the genuinely funny.
A Pastiche of Aristocrats and Servants
Similar to Downton, Fackham Hall delivers a spoof of extremely pompous the nobility and excessively servile help. The story centers on the feckless Lord Davenport (portrayed by a wonderfully pretentious Damian Lewis) and his book-averse wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). After losing their children in separate tragic accidents, their plans now rest on marrying off their offspring.
The younger daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has secured the aristocratic objective of an engagement to the suitable close relative, Archibald (a wonderfully unctuous Tom Felton). However after she withdraws, the onus shifts to the unattached elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), who is an old maid of a woman" and who harbors radically progressive beliefs concerning female autonomy.
Its Humor Succeeds
The spoof achieves greater effect when satirizing the oppressive expectations placed on early 20th-century women – a subject typically treated for po-faced melodrama. The archetype of respectable, enviable womanhood provides the richest material for mockery.
The storyline, as is fitting for a purposefully absurd spoof, is of lesser importance to the jokes. The writer serves them up maintaining an amiably humorous clip. There is a killing, a farcical probe, and a star-crossed attraction involving the plucky thief Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.
The Constraints of Pure Silliness
The entire affair is in the spirit of playful comedy, but that very quality has limitations. The heightened silliness characteristic of the genre may tire after a while, and the entertainment value in this instance diminishes in the space between sketch and a full-length film.
At a certain point, you might wish to retreat to a realm of (very slight) reason. Yet, you have to respect a genuine dedication to this type of comedy. In an age where we might to amuse ourselves to death, let's at least laugh at it.