Fackham Hall Review – A Rapid-Fire, Witty Takeoff on Downton Which Is Delightfully Ephemeral.
It could be the notion of uncertain days in the air: after years of quiet, the spoof is enjoying a resurgence. The past few months witnessed the re-emergence of this unserious film style, which, when done well, skewers the pretensions of overly serious genres with a flood of heightened tropes, visual jokes, and dumb-brilliant double entendres.
Playful periods, so it goes, beget self-awarely frivolous, laugh-filled, pleasantly insubstantial entertainment.
A Recent Entry in This Silly Trend
The latest of these goofy parodies is Fackham Hall, a Downton Abbey spoof that jabs at the highly satirizable self-importance of gilded British period dramas. The screenplay comes from British-Irish comedian Jimmy Carr and directed by Jim O'Hanlon, the movie finds ample of source material to mine and exploits every bit of it.
From a ludicrous start to a outrageous finale, this amusing upper-class adventure packs all of its 97 minutes with jokes and bits that vary from the juvenile to the authentically hilarious.
A Mimicry of Upstairs, Downstairs
In the vein of Downton, Fackham Hall delivers a caricature of very self-important the nobility and overly fawning staff. The story centers on the hapless Lord Davenport (played by a wonderfully pretentious Damian Lewis) and his literature-hating wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). Having lost their children in a series of calamitous events, their aspirations are pinned on securing unions for their daughters.
The junior daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has accomplished the dynastic aim of a promise to marry the right close relative, Archibald (a perfectly smarmy Tom Felton). But after she pulls out, the burden transfers to the unattached elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), described as a "dried-up husk already and who harbors radically progressive notions regarding a woman's own mind.
The Film's Laughs Lands Most Effectively
The parody achieves greater effect when joking about the stifling social constraints placed on pre-war women – an area typically treated for earnest storytelling. The archetype of respectable, enviable femininity offers the best punching bags.
The narrative thread, as one would expect from an intentionally ridiculous send-up, takes a back seat to the gags. Carr delivers them arriving at a consistently comedic clip. There is a homicide, a farcical probe, and a forbidden romance between the plucky pickpocket Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.
The Constraints of Frivolous Amusement
It's all in the spirit of playful comedy, however, this approach has limitations. The dialed-up absurdity of a spoof can wear quickly, and the comic fuel on this particular variety expires at the intersection of a skit and feature.
Eventually, one may desire to return to a realm of (at least a modicum of) reason. Yet, it's necessary to admire a sincere commitment to this type of comedy. In an age where we might to distract ourselves to death, let's at least laugh at it.
