Rather surprisingly, Victory was almost immediately viewed as worthy material for a stage adaptation. Although Conrad gave some thought to collaborating with the proposed adaptor, MacDonald Hastings, he eventually decided against it, being occupied with other projects. Although Conrad did not consider Hastings's early efforts especially faithful to his work, he consented to the adaptation mainly for commercial reasons. Conrad later showed renewed interest in Hastings's stage adaptation and made suggestions for revision. He also took an interest in the casting, but it was not until 1919 that the play was performed with Sir Henry Irving in the cast. Surprisingly, the play was a moderate commercial success, but apparently Conrad's failing health prevented him from seeing a performance. There was also a silent film version in 1919 with Wallace Beery and Lon Chaney, Sr.; this film is known today only to film historians and archivists, but since it was two...