Undine and/is Ondine, Giraudoux’s nymph resurfaces in cinema

Undine, a German film from 2020, is a retelling of the famous German Romantic myth that, for its transcultural resonance, deserves to be compared with Giraudoux’s play as much as with its German sources. Indeed, it is from Ondine (1939) that we can begin to trace this contemporary Undine, a “human woman by taste.” Far from the old dichotomous representation of part-angel, part-monster, this Undine is cultured, resourceful, and free to choose to kill Hans out of love for Bertram.