Valparaiso (1964): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1964, Valparaiso is a documentary film directed by Joris Ivens, running about 24 minutes.

What it’s about. 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.

Who’s in it. Valparaiso stars Roger Pigaut as Narrator (voice).

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.8/10, Valparaiso has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. In US you can stream it on MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel and DocAlliance Films and rent or buy it from DocAlliance Films. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Valparaiso page.

If you liked it. Fans of Valparaiso tend to enjoy One Direction: This Is Us, Burn the Stage: The Movie, BTS World Tour: Love Yourself - Japan Edition and Senna.