"My mistake..."

[titoli]

...four coffins."

And Eastwood, after having shown the correct number by fingers goes to massage his beard.

I always thought the transition from the number to the massage highly unnatural, not in line with Joe's cold-bloodedness. Maybe he took the chance offered by having extracted the hand from under the serape to give a long-awaited relief to his itching stubbles. But more probably he is embarassed by the mistake he made and hurries up to cancel that sign:   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeFpM2OEWPs&feature=related

I think it would have been more in line with the character and the end of the sequence after having let him show the four fingers, let him put the hand back under the serape or let him light a cigar.

[Silenzio]

Eastwood chose to scratch his beard often because it's one of Mifune's common mannerisms in "Yojimbo," which was one of Eastwood's favorite films.

Whether that was a good place for Eastwood to scratch doesn't concern me very much.

[titoli]

Eastwood chose to scratch his beard often because it's one of Mifune's common mannerisms in "Yojimbo," which was one of Eastwood's favorite films.

Whether that was a good place for Eastwood to scratch doesn't concern me very much.

Then why did you answer?

[Tuco the ugly]

To make you feel important.

[titoli]

Thanx, but I can do it grandly with my humble self alone.

[Tuco the ugly]

But I agree, it does break the coolness of the character a little.

[pablo113]

Looks natural to me?

Pablo

[Dirty Rat]

I never noticed that before but looking at your link it almost looks as though Eastwood was slightly hesitant at what he was going to do as he brought his hand up to his face.
It actually looks as though he goes to massage his beard but forgets about his cheroot.
Then goes for the classic jaw rub - bingo

Am I barking up the wrong tree?

Arf-arf

[The Firecracker]

But I agree, it does break the coolness of the character a little.

Really? I thought that was part of the charm.

[iceman]

So how many met him as he rode into town 3 or 4.....cant be assed to get the dvd out and check

ICE