The movie Analysis. When Harry Met Sally - Essay Example

This happens before the drive to New York City. The second stage occurs during the drive and is known as the stage of experimentation. During this stage, there is an attempt on the part of both the characters to look for common characteristics in their personalities. Much of the tension in the movie arises out of the fact that this stage stretches for a very long time. The next stage is the intensifying stage. During this stage, the two parties seek to take the relationship forward and develop it further.

Harry and Sally take a long time in reaching this stage and it happens during the New Year Eve party when they realize the attraction that they felt for each other. It is during the next stage, that of integration, that they engage in sexual intercourse. The act of sex then can be seen to be one where the members of the couple disclose hidden parts of themselves to the other. The next stage of bonding for Harry and Sally arrives, one may speculate after the events of the movie as the formal declaration of love comes at the end of the movie.

The stage of disintegration, on the other hand, never really arrives (Knapp and Vangelisti; Reiner). The different stages of love in the movie are ironically, shown to develop not between Harry and Sally but between different characters and the members of the lead couple. . There is a great emphasis on the stages between initiation and bonding in the movie. It makes it clear that these stages may not move through very quickly and the appeal of the movie lay largely in the audience’s wish for the stages to pass by quickly.

The stage of bonding is looked upon as the most desirable one and the one that every relationship is supposed to lead up to. The stage of experimentation is looked upon as one of the most conventionally romantic stages and the elongation of this is considered to be one of the reasons for the enduring popularity of this movie. The Johari model can also be used to analyse the different stages of the relationship within the movie. There are different windows that different parts of the relationships within the movie occupy.

In the beginning, Harry and Sally both occupy the window of the arena. They are aware of those sides of themselves that are known to the society at large as well. There is no knowledge that is hidden from the society and known to the other person. As a result, there is no proress in the relationship and it remains stagnant. Later on, the space of the blind spot is opened up for discussion as Harry and Sally are made to confront the validity of their beliefs. These are challenged as they are made aware of those aspects of their personalities that they are not aware of but the society is.

This happens through the interventions of the two characters. The relationship develops further and to its logical conclusion when the couple separates itself into a unit separate from the society. This happens when they move into the space that is designated as the facade. In this stage, the characters are