Fackham Hall – A Rapid-Fire, Funny Downton Abbey Spoof That's Refreshingly Ephemeral.
Maybe the feeling of uncertain days around us: subsequent to a lengthy span of dormancy, the spoof is enjoying a return. The recent season observed the re-emergence of this lighthearted genre, which, when done well, mocks the self-importance of overly serious genres with a torrent of heightened tropes, sight gags, and dumb-brilliant double entendres.
Playful times, it seems, create an appetite for deliberately shallow, gag-packed, welcome light amusement.
The Newest Addition in This Absurd Resurgence
The latest of these silly send-ups comes in the form of Fackham Hall, a parody of Downton Abbey that pokes fun at the very pokeable pretensions of wealthy British period dramas. The screenplay comes from UK-Irish comic Jimmy Carr and overseen by Jim O'Hanlon, the feature has a wealth of source material to mine and uses all of it.
Opening on a absurd opening and culminating in a preposterous conclusion, this amusing aristocratic caper crams every one of its runtime with gags and sketches that vary from the childish to the genuinely funny.
A Mimicry of The Gentry and Staff
Similar to Downton, Fackham Hall delivers a caricature of very self-important the nobility and overly fawning staff. The narrative focuses on the incompetent Lord Davenport (portrayed by a wonderfully pretentious Damian Lewis) and his anti-reading wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). Having lost their four sons in a series of calamitous events, their hopes now rest on securing unions for their daughters.
The younger daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has achieved the family goal of a promise to marry the suitable first cousin, Archibald (a wonderfully unctuous Tom Felton). Yet when she backs out, the pressure transfers to the single elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), described as a "dried-up husk at 23 and and holds dangerously modern beliefs about female autonomy.
Where the Laughs Works Best
The parody fares much better when sending up the oppressive norms placed on pre-war ladies – a topic often mined for self-serious drama. The archetype of proper, coveted womanhood provides the richest punching bags.
The storyline, as is fitting for a deliberately silly spoof, is of lesser importance to the gags. The writer delivers them arriving at a consistently comedic pace. There is a homicide, an incompetent investigation, and a star-crossed attraction featuring the roguish pickpocket Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.
A Note on Lighthearted Fun
Everything is in lighthearted fun, though that itself comes with constraints. The amplified foolishness characteristic of the genre might grate quickly, and the comic fuel on this particular variety runs out somewhere between a skit and feature.
After a while, one may desire to return to a realm of (very slight) reason. Yet, one must respect a genuine dedication to this type of comedy. Given that we are to entertain ourselves relentlessly, it's preferable to find the humor in it.
