Purple Haze is a 1982 dramedy about Matt Caulfield, a college student who is expelled for smoking cannabis and is subsequently drafted to serve in the Vietnam War in the summer of 1968.
David Burton Morris said Purple Haze was inspired by growing conservative sentiment during the Reagan presidency and young people's fears that the US would enter into another war.
He told the Walker Art Center that his intent was to warn people about "more undeclared wars" and "to stop believing in our leaders, to not take what they say at face value, but to do research, to seek the truth.
"[1] The film was produced on a low budget and cast with non-SAG actors; Morris recalled putting out a call for people in "hippie clothing.
"[1][2] Purple Haze featured many pieces of music, mainly period rock tracks from the mid- to late 1960s.