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Has someone already gone back from the future?

This week, the makers of Back To The Future kicked off celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of the release of the original movie starring Michael J. Fox. In the same week, an Irish independent filmmaker has gone public with what he says is footage of a time traveller caught walking through a scene on a recent DVD release of Charlie Chaplin's 1928 film, The Circus.

"I believe I'm the first person to find something quite unusual from a bit of film footage from 1928," Clarke said. The scene can be found in the extras menu in Documents, under The Hollywood Premiere.

It's not in the movie -- it's real footage and it features real members of the public in 1928. Or does it, asked Clarke, who spotted a mysteriously dressed stranger walking past the camera talking into what he says can only be a mobile phone.

"The only conclusion I can come to -- which sounds absolutely ridiculous I'm sure, to some people -- is it's a time traveller," he said. "When you're looking at a bit of 1928 footage with an old woman ... on a mobile phone, it's kind of strange. You can't explain it."

Now the YouTube footage has passed the half-a-million mark, and plenty have tried to explain it. YouTube user "Barnwash" claims Australian police tested the first true two-way radio in 1928 and that maybe the woman was security in disguise.

Others claim it was a type of hearing aid.

Most of the naysayers hang their arguments on the fact that there were no phone towers or satellites in 1928, but they are quickly shot down by the believers who say those who possess time travel tech surely could circumvent this.

There's also plenty of speculation about the mysterious figure herself ... if it is indeed a woman.

"Did anyone notice how odd his feet looked," midwestwoman asked. "Thick ankles and then super thin feet? They don't look right. Also her/his hand seemed abnormally large."

"Who is to say that time travel is not an 'interesting vacation' that people commonly take in the future to live/experience favorite time periods," the user added.

Who indeed? Certainly not Doc Brown, who some say bears a spooky resemblance to the "woman" in the footage...

Read more tech news at news.com.au.