A Lizard Runs Through It

theatrical release poster

“Really pretty f*cking great, considering.”

- The New New York Times

A Lizard Runs Through It is a remake of Robert Redford directed 1996 drama A River Runs Through It. The story follows two lizard sons of a preacher, one studious and the other rebellious, as they grow up lizard fly fishing in the Rocky Mountain region.

Robert Redford produced and directed the remake. Actor Brad Pitt, who played the younger Maclean brother in the original, played the father in the remake. Lizard person actor ßkwwlth played both brothers.

Notably, no computer effects were used to duplicate ßkwwlth onscreen. Instead, Redford invented an intricate system of mirrors to allow filming two ßkwwlths at once.

Plot

The Maclean brothers, Paul and Norman, live in rural Montana and spend much of their time lizard fly fishing. As Norman goes off to lizard college, Paul stays home to become a successful lizard journalist, but often gets into trouble through lizard drinking and lizard gambling. When Norman returns home, the pair go lizard fly fishing again and try to stay lizard friends, but find they are now lizards of a different feather.

Cast

  • ßkwwlth as Norman Maclean

  • ßkwwlth as Paul Maclean (credited as ßkwwlth 2, for reasons undisclosed)

  • Brad Pitt as Reverend Maclean

Production

Redford got the idea from a dream. He was walking along the banks of a riverbed with Brad Pitt when a lizard person sprinted across the stones below. The lizard person winked at him, Redford woke up, and Redford wrote the script immediately.

Despite the narrative taking place in Montana, the film was shot over six months in Ogretown, California, “because I’m getting on in years, and now I just film wherever sounds like a nice place to visit,” said Redford.

ßkwwlth spent four weeks at a summer camp for frog children, learning to catch flies with his tongue. Brad Pitt did not need to, as he already learned this skill for a (deleted) scene in the original film.

Production experienced a number of hardships and delays. Filming halted when several crew members were hospitalized, experiencing hysterical blindness from prolonged exposure to the complex mirror system used to duplicate ßkwwlth onscreen. Production was further delayed by a traveling circus using the mirrors as their fun house. The circus couldn’t be removed from the premises for months, due to generous local laws regarding squatter’s rights. The crew attempted to film around the circus performers, but they kept getting into frame. Redford eventually solved the problem with more mirrors.

Release and Reception

The film went straight to LaserDisc to public and critical acclaim. Lizard Sundance Film Festival wanted to screen it, but Redford decided to debut it at regular Sundance instead. However, a bootleg copy did show at Pasadena City College of the Dead’s annual film festival, and was well received. The ghost of film critic Roger Ebert was at the screening and gave it 3.5 out of 4 stars, removing half a star for “too many mirrors”.