A Look at Fackham Hall – A Fast-Paced, Humorous Takeoff on Downton That's Refreshingly Ephemeral.
It could be the feeling of end times pervading: following a long period of inactivity, the parody is making a resurgence. This summer observed the revival of this unserious film style, which, in its finest form, mocks the self-importance of overly serious dramas with a flood of pitched clichés, physical comedy, and dumb-brilliant double entendres.
Playful periods, apparently, give rise to knowingly unserious, laugh-filled, welcome light amusement.
A Recent Offering in This Goofy Wave
The newest of these absurd spoofs comes in the form of Fackham Hall, a takeoff on the British period drama that needles the very pokeable pretensions of wealthy UK historical series. Co-written by British-Irish comedian Jimmy Carr and helmed by Jim O'Hanlon, the feature has a wealth of inspiration to work with and exploits every bit of it.
Starting with a absurd opening and culminating in a outrageous finale, this amusing silver-spoon romp packs each of its hour and a half with jokes and bits running the gamut from the childish up to the authentically hilarious.
A Pastiche of Upstairs, Downstairs
In the vein of Downton, Fackham Hall presents a pastiche of overly dignified aristocrats and very obsequious help. The story focuses on the incompetent Lord Davenport (portrayed by an enjoyably affected Damian Lewis) and his book-averse wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). After losing their male heirs in separate unfortunate mishaps, their hopes now rest on finding matches for their two girls.
The younger daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has achieved the aristocratic objective of betrothal to the appropriate first cousin, Archibald (a wonderfully unctuous Tom Felton). Yet after she backs out, the burden shifts to the unattached elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), considered an old maid of a woman" and and holds radically progressive beliefs about a woman's own mind.
Its Laughs Succeeds
The film achieves greater effect when satirizing the stifling social constraints forced upon early 20th-century ladies – an area often mined for self-serious drama. The trope of idealized womanhood supplies the most fertile punching bags.
The storyline, as befitting an intentionally ridiculous parody, takes a back seat to the jokes. The co-writer serves them up coming at a consistently comedic clip. The film features a murder, an incompetent investigation, and a star-crossed attraction featuring the roguish pickpocket Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.
Limitations and Frivolous Amusement
It's all for harmless amusement, however, this approach imposes restrictions. The dialed-up silliness inherent to parody might grate over time, and the mileage in this instance expires somewhere between sketch and feature.
Eventually, one may desire to go back to the world of (very slight) reason. But, it's necessary to admire a wholehearted devotion to this type of comedy. If we're going to distract ourselves unto oblivion, it's preferable to laugh at it.
