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After a 60-Year Career, Bette Davis’ Underrated Final Movie Was a Poetic End

June 29, 2025

Whether you’re an aspiring moviemaker, actor, or a lover of the film medium, studying the career of Bette Davis is absolutely essential. For six decades, the iconic actress of old Hollywood turned out groundbreaking performances that challenged convention and defied the expectations of what it meant to be a woman in movies. Fond of portraying fiery characters, Davis challenged the studio system to create a career so profound that it earned her the nickname “the Fourth Warner Brother.” And, much like her iconic All About Eve character, Margo Channing, Davis refused to give up, even when Hollywood turned its back on her, creating a career renaissance (and a new genre of film). But, of course, all film careers come to an end, one way or another, and, for Davis, that end came with the criminally underrated The Whales of August. While the film was a much smaller affair than those for which she was known in her heyday, Davis’ final picture is a poetic end to an illustrious career that any serious fan of the actress must see.

‘The Whales of August’ Is a Full Circle Style Movie for Davis

Image via Nelson Entertainment

Unlike many of her contemporaries, it’s nearly impossible to choose a single “favorite” role from Davis’ career. Over the course of her 60 years on the silver screen, she created some of the most iconic characters of all time. From her Oscar-winning performance as Julie in Jezebel, to her transformative work in Now, Voyager and Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, Davis’ character work was what made her so successful. Despite her striking beauty, the film industry famously didn’t know what to do with her when she arrived in Hollywood. As stated by The Hollywood Reporter, Davis was never considered a conventional beauty and was quickly fired from Universal before having her option picked up by Warner Brothers. However, even her new studio had trouble finding her type, something the clever Davis used to her advantage. The actress found her niche in character work, taking on transformative roles that other, more glamorous stars of the time shied away from.

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Bette Davis Almost Passed on the Greatest Role of Her Career — The Reason Why Is Wild

Try to imagine anyone else playing Margo Channing. We’ll wait.

The Whales of August allowed her to return to this work after decades of having to settle for caricature roles. While the horror gem, Burnt Offerings, allowed her to dabble with this, her screen time compared to the rest of the principal cast is minimal, and other films, such as Wicked Stepmother, weren’t films with the same amount of depth for which she was known. But The Whales of August is a return to form. Playing the role of Libby, an elderly woman living with blindness, taken care of by her sister, Sarah (Lillian Gish), Davis, despite her advanced age, is incredible in the part. Donning a long, fright wig and no make up, Davis uses her whole body to bring to life the struggling and often volatile Libby. She manages to create both a sense of sympathy and frustration for the audience, adding a nuance that feels right from her early days in film. When one considers the health issues Davis herself was facing at the time of production, it makes her work even more incredible. In true Davis fashion, she pulls from her real emotions to create a role that feels close to home, and unforgettable. What’s more is that the film defies Hollywood ageism, something Davis often had to fight against.

‘The Whales of August’ Features an All-Star Cast of Classic Actors

It’s no secret that Davis had to fight for her career in the face of Ageism. After all, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? was a direct result of Hollywood’s prejudice, and many of Davis’ later roles came about due to the actress being in need of work. However, The Whales of August beautifully defies the practice that often relegated the superstar to more forgettable parts. The entire picture is written about two sisters living in a childhood home in their twilight years, and as such, the entire cast is made up of Davis’ contemporaries. The youngest member of the principal cast was the great Vincent Price, who was 75 at the time of production. Other members of the ensemble included Ann Sothern and, of course, Gish. Younger cast members were used for flashback sequences only, which was an undeniably beautiful way to give Davis one last starring role. It’s truly a marvel to see this practice employed and is the perfect bookend to the decades of ageism she faced.

It may not be her most exciting film, or the largest she ever made, but The Whales of August is a special picture indeed. It gave Davis one last chance to return to the work that had made her career such a marvel. Not only was it character work through and through, it was a defiance of Hollywood’s ageist practices. It should not be missed, and I hope this coverage has inspired you to check it out.

The Whales of August is available to stream on Apple TV+