In 1962 Joris Ivens was invited to Chile for teaching and filmmaking. Together with students he made …À Valparaiso, one of his most poetic films. Contrasting the prestigious history of the seaport with the present the film sketches a portrait of the city, built on 42 hills, with its wealth and poverty, its daily life on the streets, the stairs, the rack railways and in the bars. Although the port has lost its importance, the rich past is still present in the impoverished city. The film echoes this ambiguous situation in its dialectical poetic style, interweaving the daily life reality (of 1963) with the history of the city and changing from black and white to colour, finally leaving us with hopeful perspective for the children who are playing on the stairs and hills of this beautiful town.

«Valparaiso est une ville extraordinaire, une ville qui a tout connu: les Espagnols, l'incendie, le tremblement de terre, les pirates, la tempête, tout. Une ville torturée...»

Em 1962, Joris Ivens foi convidado ao Chile para dar aulas e fazer filmes. Junto com os alunos fez este curta-metragem. Comparando a prestigiosa história do porto com a atualidade, este é um retrato da cidade construída sobre 42 colinas, com sua riqueza e pobreza, sua vida cotidiana nas ruas.

Es la noche de Año Nuevo en Valparaíso. Todos los barcos y calles centrales están especialmente iluminados. Pero en los cerros que circundan el centro de la estrecha ciudad hay pobreza para sus habitantes. Ellos viven trasladándose en viejos ascensores o remitiéndose a subir y bajar interminables escaleras, transportando el agua. Mientras tanto, los ricos se divierten, ignorándolos. Se narra la historia de Valparaíso, "el valle del paraíso", lugar alguna vez dominado por conquistadores y piratas que también enfrenta a los elementos naturales: el mar, el sol, el viento y el fuego.