only when he, crowned in cockle shells, takes up his arm

[tllkt]

The relevant timestamp is [0:30].

Bellow, bid our father, the Sea King, rise from the depths, full-foul in his fury, black waves teeming with salt-foam, to smother this young mouth with pungent slime... To choke you, engorging your organs till you turn blue and bloated with bilge and brine and can scream no more, only when he, crowned in cockle shells, with slithering tentacled tales and steaming beard, takes up his fell, be-finned arm -- his coral-tined trident screeches banshee-like in the tempest -- and plunges right through your gullet, bursting you, a bulging bladder no more, but a blasted bloody film now [...]

Source: The Lighthouse, 2019. Directed by Robert Eggers.

What does "only when he ... takes up his fell, be-finned arm" mean here? Should I understand it as "till you can scream no more, except for when he takes up his arm and plunges right through your gullet"?

 

[teechar]

That video is not available any longer.

 

[tllkt]

That video is not available any longer.

On my end it just says "Playback on other websites has been disabled by the video owner", but there's an underlined "Watch on YouTube" hyperlink below. Is that not the case for you?

In any case, I've updated the OP with a transcript.

 

[teechar]

I can watch it on YouTube alright.
For what it's worth, I hear "take up" instead of "takes up".
It's obviously meant as a very dramatic and furious rant.
That's all I can tell you, I'm afraid.

 

[tllkt]

For what it's worth, I hear "take up" instead of "takes up".

That's definitely true, I just wrote it down as "takes", the same way I wrote "you" instead of "ye". It's written as "takes" in the script, though. I think it's just a way to give the characters' speech some archaic flavor, they say things like "I says" all the time in this film.

It's obviously meant as a very dramatic and furious rant.

Yes, it's a curse, essentially.

That's all I can tell you, I'm afraid.

Do you think my interpretation of "only when" is correct? That's the only part that confuses me.

 

[teechar]

Do you think my interpretation of "only when" is correct? That's the only part that confuses me.

I'm not really sure what exactly it's supposed to mean, and I don't think it adds that much to the overall message.

 

[tllkt]

Does no one else have any idea? Would someone at least tell me if they think my interpretation is correct or not?

 

[jutfrank]

As it's obviously archaic and on top of that dialectical, I'm not sure but I'll guess if you like: The word 'when' is like 'until', expressing a condition to be fulfilled.

I'm not confident about this at all, but it makes sense.

 

[Skrej]

I thought it could be boiled down to 'only when all this terrible stuff has come to pass' will X happen.

However, either I missed what X was in the rant, or it's just implied that that is when the suffering/curse ends. (i.e. you suffer terribly until then).

Regardless, you have to hand it to Mr. Dafoe for that impressive delivery.

 

[tllkt]

I thought it could be boiled down to 'only when all this terrible stuff has come to pass' will X happen.

However, either I missed what X was in the rant

Right, that's exactly what confused me as well. I think X has got to be the return of Pattinson character's ability to scream that Dafoe's character denies him in the preceding part of the sentence. You won't be able to scream any more (once the Sea King chokes you etc.), except for when he bursts you with his trident. That's the only idea I have, anyway.

Regardless, you have to hand it to Mr. Dafoe for that impressive delivery.

Indeed, his entire performance in that film is mesmerizing (and as many have said, he got totally snubbed at that year's Oscars), and it's a perfect fit for all the eloquent and eccentric writing. It's one of the most unique films I've ever seen and I highly recommend it, although be warned — it's rather disturbing at times.

 

[jutfrank]

You won't be able to scream any more (once the Sea King chokes you etc.), except for when he bursts you with his trident. That's the only idea I have, anyway.

Yes, you and I are agreed on this. It makes good sense.

Indeed, his entire performance in that film is mesmerizing (and as many have said, he got totally snubbed at that year's Oscars), and it's a perfect fit for all the eloquent and eccentric writing. It's one of the most unique films I've ever seen and I highly recommend it, although be warned — it's rather disturbing at times.

I think it's an excellent film. Both actors are superb, and the writing by the Eggers brothers is astonishing. If you haven't seen their The Witch, I couldn't recommend it highly enough. It's written entirely in beautiful yet strangely ominous 17th century New England dialect. It's a joy to listen to, and brilliantly shot to boot. Creepy as hell.

 

[tllkt]

If you haven't seen their The Witch, I couldn't recommend it highly enough.

I've seen it several times, and Robert Eggers is one of my favorite young directors, although I was a little underwhelmed by The Northman. I'm very excited for his upcoming Nosferatu remake and can't wait to see it! The trailer looks really promising.