Did a Time Traveler Crash Charlie Chaplin's 1928 Movie Premiere?

That's the perfectly logical theory advanced by YouTube user George Clarke, who discovered a mysterious person (and potential cell phone user) in behind-the-scenes footage from the premiere of Chaplin's film The Circus. The roaming charges would be brutal.


This is a trip. In this clip from 1928, this woman looks so much like she's talking on a cell phone that it's almost impossible to think of what else she could possibly be doing.  

:o :o :o

http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/10/did_a_cellphone-holding_time_t.html

....and who on earth could he possibly be calling (without cell phone towers etc).

I've looked at that clip a few times (it was on Yahoo about a week ago and showed real close-up video images) and this is what I have come up with:

http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/blog/article/57334/time-traveller-spotted-at-chaplin-premiere.html

Looking closely...

1. The person looks superimposed on to the video. For some reason, I'm not sure it is the shading of the person or not, despite evidence of a shadow, it doesn't fit in with the rest of scenery. Notice 'she' is in very close proximity to the man in front and he doesn't acknowledge her presence subconsciously or not.

2. Looking at the close-up, the woman looks like a man.

3. Even though the person looks like they are talking, it doesn't look evident that 'she' has a mobile phone in her hand.

This is my opinion anyway. Whether the person is fake or not this is a very intriguing debate. :)

Just to add:

One of the more plausible suggestions on the website AL-B quoted was she (if she wasn't superimposed on to the film) was talking into a hearing-aid. Whether this 'person' was using a hearing-aid or not is another issue altogether but here is a link :

http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/gallery/Carbon/WesternElectric/info/westelect34a.htm

Was the film released on April 1st?

She could just look like she was talking on a cellphone because she could just be crazy, and talking to her imaginary friend, especially since she's at an advance age and is more likely to have dementia. As has been mentioned, the audience doesn't see an actuall cell phone.