Fackham Hall – This Fast-Paced, Funny Parody of Downton Abbey Which Is Refreshingly Ephemeral.
Maybe the feeling of end times in the air: subsequent to a lengthy span of quiet, the parody is enjoying a resurgence. This summer saw the rebirth of this lighthearted genre, which, when done well, lampoons the self-importance of overly serious dramas with a torrent of pitched clichés, visual jokes, and dumb-brilliant double entendres.
Unserious periods, apparently, give rise to deliberately shallow, gag-packed, welcome light fun.
The Latest Offering in This Absurd Trend
The most recent of these goofy parodies comes in the form of Fackham Hall, a takeoff on the British period drama that needles the highly satirizable pretensions of wealthy British period dramas. Penned in part by UK-Irish comic Jimmy Carr and helmed by Jim O'Hanlon, the movie has a wealth of material to mine and wastes none of it.
Opening on a ridiculous beginning all the way to its outrageous finale, this enjoyable upper-class adventure crams each of its hour and a half with puns and routines that vary from the juvenile all the way to the truly humorous.
A Mimicry of Aristocrats and Servants
In the vein of Downton, Fackham Hall presents a caricature of very self-important aristocrats and very obsequious staff. The narrative centers on the incompetent Lord Davenport (portrayed by a delightfully mannered Damian Lewis) and his anti-reading wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). Having lost their four sons in separate calamitous events, their plans are pinned on finding matches for their daughters.
One daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has achieved the aristocratic objective of betrothal to the appropriate close relative, Archibald (a perfectly smarmy Tom Felton). Yet after she pulls out, the onus transfers to the unmarried elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), considered a spinster of a woman" and and holds dangerously modern notions regarding female autonomy.
Where the Humor Lands Most Effectively
The film fares much better when joking about the stifling norms placed on pre-war ladies – an area often mined for po-faced melodrama. The stereotype of respectable, enviable femininity provides the most fertile comic targets.
The storyline, as one would expect from a deliberately silly parody, is secondary to the gags. The writer delivers them maintaining a consistently comedic pace. There is a homicide, a farcical probe, and a star-crossed attraction involving the plucky pickpocket Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.
The Constraints of Lighthearted Fun
It's all in the spirit of playful comedy, though that itself imposes restrictions. The heightened silliness inherent to parody can wear over time, and the mileage for this specific type diminishes somewhere between a skit and feature.
At a certain point, one may desire to return to a realm of (very slight) reason. But, you have to respect a genuine dedication to the craft. Given that we are to amuse ourselves unto oblivion, it's preferable to laugh at it.
