YouTube - Bayeux Tapestry

YouTube - Bayeux Tapestry

Here's VeryShortList.com's commentary:

The latest must-see Internet video turns the 230-foot-long Bayeux Tapestry into the Middle Ages’ equivalent of a spectacular popcorn blockbuster. British designer David Newton animated a tracking shot of the tapestry for a school project when he was only 21 — far exceeding the assignment to demonstrate his knowledge of motion graphics software. The animation is a triumphant labor of love: Its graceful simplicity and wit beat the big-budget CGI slaughter you’d get if Hollywood told the story of the Norman invasion.

The brief video scrolls across the surface of the tapestry, from the appearance of Halley’s Comet to the victory of the Normans. Various players, from William the Conqueror to a lowly squire, are all subtly animated and enhanced with sound effects. The accompanying, frequently familiar orchestral music is both Hollywood-grand and good-humored.