Porter's "The Great Train Robbery": Cross-cutting as Editing Technique

Cross-Cutting Editing Technique
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Cross-Cutting Editing Technique
Cross-cutting is a movie editing technique that involves switching scenes back and forth to give the audience an impression that specific actions are happening at different locations simultaneously (Gaudreault, 1979). Edwin Porter introduced this technique in the film The Great Train Robbery of 1903. The cross-cutting editing technique is vital, and many movies use it today. Indeed, it can be used to create suspense for viewers and make them sit at the edges of their seats. The introduction and application of the cross-cutting editing technique was a significant milestone in filmmaking, and Porter is remembered for applying this technique in The Great Train Robbery. 
The primary scene in The Great Train Robbery where Porter displays the cross-cutting editing technique occurs at 8:08 (TheVideoCellar, 2011). Specifically, when the operator at the railroad telegraph office is waking up after being unconscious, the same time, the bandits are escaping in the forest using their horses. The audience is taken from one scene to another, making them wonder whether the robbers will be caught or they wou...