Product Details

• Actors: Banksy, Thierry Guetta, Shepard Fairey, Rhys Ifans (narrator)
• Directors: Banksy
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Oscilloscope Laboratories
• DVD Release Date: December 14, 2010
• Run Time: 87 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (89 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00470MG06
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,960 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

It wouldn't be in character for British street artist Banksy to reveal all, even in a film about his work--nor would it be legally prudent. Instead, the elusive stencil-master, face concealed via hoodie, shines a light on amateur documentarian Thierry Guetta. Based in Los Angeles, the French-born bon vivant films everything. On a trip to Paris, he follows his cousin Space Invader around as he affixes his video-game mosaics to walls throughout the city. As he says in retrospect, "I liked the danger." A vintage clothing shop proprietor, he decides he's found his new calling and returns to record other artists, like Shepard Fairey, who found fame through his Orwellian "Obey" image, which features André the Giant (Fairey later designed Obama's "Hope" portrait). Through Fairey, Guetta meets Banksy, whose visage remains a mystery. Guetta captures him in his studio, on the streets, and during preparations for his "Barely Legal" exhibit, at which Brad Pitt and Jude Law make appearances, but things fall apart after an ill-fated trip to Disneyland, where Banksy pulls a stunt that references Guantánamo Bay. Afterward, he encourages the videographer to mount his own show, which yields unexpected results. If it seems as if Banksy is making fun of Guetta, he mostly holds a mirror up to hipsters who'll fall for anything deemed cool (like this film). Narrated by Rhys Ifans, Exit preserves Banksy's anonymity while biting the hand that feeds--with wit and humor. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Product Description

The incredible true story of how the greatest graffiti movie of all time was never made...Exit Through the Gift Shop is a chaotic trip through low-level criminality radeship and inpetence. By turns shocking hilarious and absurd this is an enthralling modern-day fairytale... with bolt cutters.This is the inside story of Street Art a brutal and revealing account of what happens when fame money and vandalism collide. Exit Through the Gift Shop follows an eccentric shopkeeper turned amateur filmmaker as he attempts to capture many of the world's most infamous vandals on camera only to have famed British stencil artist Banksy turn the camcorder back on its owner in one of the most provocative films about art ever made.Features: B Movie an exclusive film about the art of Banksy. A Star is Born a featurette covering Mr. Brain Wash s first installation.. Life Remote Control (Lawyer s edit) the movie that started it all released for the first time. Deleted Scenes.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DOCUMENTARIES Rating: NR Age: 896602002326 UPC: 896602002326 Manufacturer No: OSC032

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Underground Art As Traditional Commerce--A Real Life Tale of Hype And Delusion That Is Also The Year's Most Incisive Satire, February 9, 2011

By 

K. Harris "Film aficionado" (Albuquerque, NM) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Exit Through the Gift Shop (DVD)

Having heard much praise heaped on the art world documentary "Exit Through The Gift Shop," I expected to enjoy the film although I had no inherent interest in the graffiti scene. But the film is a sly examination of what constitutes art in the modern era. What starts out as a conventional biography turns into one of the most pointed satires about this topic that I've ever seen. (Coincidentally, I just watched the fictional comedy "(Untitled)" which covers many of the same themes and offers an equally savage skewering of the hype and pretensions to be found in this world). I didn't, however, realize that I was specifically aware of the film's subject matter. I lived in Los Angeles during the pivotal time period presented in the movie, and I remember and recognize the major event that dominates the film's second half. Of course, I didn't have an insider's knowledge of how it came about--and I had no idea that learning the story would be so patently absurd or that it would have me laughing out loud!

That's right, for me, "Exit Through The Gift Shop" works as a comedy. I was entertained by the more conventional first half, but I was delighted by the ridiculous turn of events for the finale! The film follows Thierry Guetta, an amateur documentarian that becomes obsessed by the world of street art. With a camera constantly at the ready, Guetta insinuates himself into this underground community. He's an oddball, to be sure, traveling the globe and leaving his family to endlessly film footage without ever constructing a final product. When he teams up with one of Britain's most elusive talents (Banksy), the two become virtually inseparable. Banksy eventually steps into the spotlight with an upscale show in Los Angeles, asks what's going on with the documentary, and is perplexed by the hastily assembled disaster that Guetta finally presents. Banksy keeps the footage to see if he can put something more coherent together and sends Guetta off to put together a small show of his own art.

As Guetta returns to stage an art spectacular, "Exit Through The Gift Shop" ramps up into overdrive. More concerned with hype and promotion than artistic integrity, Guetta forges an alter ego, employs a production team, and starts to mass produce derivative work based on classic pop art or recognizable pop iconography. Art as commerce--Guetta fashions himself a star! And if you tell enough people you're a genius, the word gets around. "Exit Through The Gift Shop," in the end, becomes an indictment of gullibility and hype--but also of success. The madcap and over-the-top antics of this self deluded narcissist becomes the year's most scathing comedy, all the more absurd because it's real. Banksy, never showing his face, claims credit for the resultant documentary--now about Guetta as opposed to the real street artists. And it is this sly shift of expectations and presentation that makes the film a unique entry into the documentary field. A lot of fun, but in a truly disturbing way! KGHarris, 2/11.

31 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging, entertaining, and worth many a discussion after watching, December 17, 2010

By 

Joseph Hartman (San Diego) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Exit Through the Gift Shop (Amazon Instant Video)

My wife and I heard about Banksy some time ago and were actually anxious just to learn more about his craft and talent. Akin to the main theme of the movie, after watching Exit Through the Gift Shop I think we got what we were looking for, but not quite in the way we expected.

The movie is divided pretty fairly into three equally entertaining sections. The first third introduces the protagonist, Thierry, and sets the background for his obsession with street artists. The middle portion of the movie introduces Banksy and follows the growth of his relationship with Thierry. The final act features Thierry almost exclusively, and while I was sure I knew where the film was going to end up, I found myself anxiously awaiting confirmation (incidentally, I couldn't have been more wrong).

My favorite thing about this excellent film is the conversations it begets once the credits have rolled. Questions are raised about each of the film's featured artists and the art world in general that may not have clear answers, but are entertaining to discuss nonetheless. I appreciated that the film was willing to acknowledge that it didn't have the answers either, especially considering how difficult it must have been to not pretend otherwise.

My wife and I may not agree about exactly what happened at the end of the film or why, but I think we can both agree on one thing after viewing: Banksy is much, much more talented than either of us originally thought (and we thought pretty highly of him before).

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Let the Brainwashing Begin, June 3, 2011

By 

Eric Wilson "novelist" (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Exit Through the Gift Shop (DVD)

What starts as a possible peek into the mystery of Banksy, the world-renowned street artist, turns into an artistic peepshow into the brainwashing of a French filmmaker who in turn brainwashes his fans.

"Exit through the Gift Shop" is a fascinating look into the world of street art and those who pursue this new form, eschewing money and personal fame for the chance to make their mark and give the finger to the establishment at the same time. Many of these artists are truly amazing, and the efforts they go to in pursuit of venues and canvases are equally amazing. In the process, though, the public interest has turned those such as the enigmatic Banksy into sellable properties. Banksy, while making political statements on the West Bank wall and other places, decides to cash in on the growing fame and does a huge show in L.A. that drew Hollywood's brightest stars. In so doing, he makes street art into something marketable on a grand scale. Was this his intention? We don't know. Conveniently, he never lets us know how much he made.

He does, however, use this film to set up the French filmmaker Thierry as
an artist to be mocked. Thierry, good at documenting but not good at putting together a cohesive film, decides to put on a show of his in L.A. By some miracle, he pulls it off, flirting with financial ruin to make it happen, and ends up making a lot of money and a new name for himself as Mr. Brainwash. Yes, his art is derivative, and no, he did not pay his dues. He becomes a slightly pathetic, slightly comedic figure in all of this. But Banksy also cashes in, while not playing as honestly by letting us in on the details of his prestige and income in the art world. He also, glaringly, fails to explain how some of these artists travel the world. Perhaps it's all part of protecting identity, but it is a question that begs to be answered throughout the film.

All of it, nonetheless, makes for some highly entertaining documentary work, and calls into question the ideas of marketing, art, and whether art can be objectively judged for its own merits or merely subjectively judged by those who buy into the hype, as in the case of Mr. Brainwash. In the end, maybe Mr. Brainwash is right. Maybe life is beautiful in the midst of all the brainwashing. Or maybe he's simply the product of ego, envy, and the desire to carve out his own niche in a world of increasing self-promotion.