From antiquity to the space age, copper has played a crucial role in human history. The value of copper to society and how it is procured are explained in this film, presented by the US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, in conjunction with Phelps Dodge Corporation and produced by the Jamieson Film Company. An award winning film, it won the Diploma of Honor at the International Exhibition of Documentary Films in Venice and first prize in chemistry at the International Exhibition of Scientific Didactic Film at the University of Padua. In 1968 the film was screened to more than 16,000 audiences, making it the Bureau of Mine's most in-demand film for that year. The film provides a detailed look into copper's production, from the methods in which it is mined through the concentrating, smelting, and refining processes all the way to its transformation into the variety of items used by people every day. Attention is also given to the qualities of copper such as its high conductivity and malleability, its atomic and subatomic structure, and its many uses, from alloys to electronics to decorative arts.
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