Fackham Hall – This Fast-Paced, Witty Takeoff on Downton Which Is Refreshingly Ephemeral.
Maybe the feeling of uncertain days around us: following a long period of inactivity, the spoof is staging a return. The recent season observed the re-emergence of this unserious film style, which, in its finest form, mocks the self-importance of excessively solemn dramas with a flood of exaggerated stereotypes, visual jokes, and ridiculously smart wordplay.
Unserious times, apparently, create an appetite for knowingly unserious, joke-dense, refreshingly shallow fun.
The Newest Offering in This Absurd Wave
The latest of these goofy parodies comes in the form of Fackham Hall, a parody of Downton Abbey that jabs at the easily mockable self-importance of opulent UK historical series. The screenplay comes from stand-up performer Jimmy Carr and directed by Jim O'Hanlon, the feature finds ample of inspiration to work with and exploits every bit of it.
From a ludicrous start all the way to its outrageous finale, this enjoyable upper-class adventure crams every one of its hour and a half with gags and sketches ranging from the puerile up to the authentically hilarious.
A Mimicry of The Gentry and Staff
In the vein of Downton, Fackham Hall offers a caricature of extremely pompous the nobility and very obsequious help. The plot centers on the feckless Lord Davenport (brought to life by a delightfully mannered Damian Lewis) and his anti-reading wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). Having lost their male heirs in separate tragic accidents, their hopes now rest on finding matches for their two girls.
The younger daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has achieved the family goal of betrothal to the right kinsman, Archibald (an impeccably slimy Tom Felton). But once she backs out, the burden falls upon the unmarried elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), described as a spinster of a woman" and and holds radically progressive ideas regarding women's independence.
Its Comedy Succeeds
The parody is significantly more successful when sending up the oppressive norms forced upon pre-war females – an area typically treated for earnest storytelling. The stereotype of respectable, enviable ladylike behavior supplies the most fertile comic targets.
The storyline, as is fitting for an intentionally ridiculous send-up, takes a back seat to the jokes. The writer serves them up coming at an amiably humorous rate. The film features a murder, a bungled inquiry, and an illicit love affair between the roguish thief Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.
A Note on Lighthearted Fun
Everything is in lighthearted fun, though that itself comes with constraints. The amplified absurdity characteristic of the genre may tire quickly, and the entertainment value for this specific type expires somewhere between sketch and feature.
At a certain point, audiences could long to return to a realm of (very slight) reason. Yet, it's necessary to admire a wholehearted devotion to the craft. In an age where we might to amuse ourselves relentlessly, we might as well laugh at it.