Applet as a Background Image?

I have an applet that performs some animation. I would like to use it as the background image for a web page and to display the contents of the page over it with a transparent background.

Everything I have tried thus far, HTML layers, etc.. they all get cropped by the clipping area of the applet. If a layer is supposed to display over the applet, then only the area that is NOT over the applet is displayed.

I've tried putting the applet in it's own layer & forcing it to be below the other layers in the stacking order, but to no avail.

I'm starting to wonder if it's even possible to do this. Is it a defined behavior that an applet is supposed to override anything trying to display in it's clipping rectangle? Any ideas?

Thanks,

- Gregor