I think the answer to this question relies heavily on the attitude of the standards being shown in film.
I do not think the cinema imposes standards on society unless the standards being portrayed in the film are positive, for example promoting peace and love throughout a community, whereas a film such as "Hostage" (featuring Bruce Willis) portrays violent crime and murder, and makes it seem necessary in order to save his family (who are kidnapped halfway through the movie).This is obviously not the way to conduct life in a modern society; therefore in this way I do not believe that the cinema imposes standards on the public. In a way, the cinema does play an important role in reflecting moral standards and situations, such as "A Beautiful Mind" (featuring Russell Crowe) in which a university professor develops a split personality and spends the rest of his life battling between what is real and what is in his head. This is important to give the general public an insight into what is a tragic condition, and allows us to see things through the eyes of those who suffer from it.The cinema also reflects moral standards that are negative, shown in the new film "Lord of War" (featuring Nicholas Cage), in which Cage plays an arms dealer, selling to anyone who has money and a demand for weapons, regardless of allegiances or loyalty to whichever side is buying. This lands him in trouble with a certain group of rebels, and makes for an interesting film, however, reflects the underhand and sly side of society in the 21st century.
Morals are usually adhered to by every responsible member of a society, therefore films portraying this "Average Joe", such as a comedy movie, a romantic film etc tend to reflect these peoples adherence to standards, yet also impose these standards upon the audience. Other films that show the negative side of society, e. g. crime capers, murder mysteries and so on; these tend to impose standards on the audience, in the way that they serve as a warning to the audience that the standards shown in the movie are wrong, usually resulting in a death or prison sentence, such as "Sin City".
Sin City follows three main characters who all possess a general lack of morals, which results in many of the characters dying or committing suicide or murder. In this way, it serves as a warning to those who see it; this is not the way to be living in modern society. I believe that the cinema in modern times is not just about reflecting or imposing standards upon people, more satisfying their urge to get lost in an escape from their everyday lives, and be entertained. Even though moral standards are reflected in film, and perhaps even imposed upon the viewer, I do not think this is an ulterior motive behind the making of a film.
I think that in fact, moral standards already exist in modern life, throughout a community, and are a part of everyday life, therefore I would suggest that films mostly reflect moral standards, as these morals have already been imposed on the audience, by their parents, friends and families, and, most importantly, Disney. Every Disney movie has a moral hidden behind the story, and for many children is an important building block in their personality. It is the only type of film in my opinion that imposes moral standards upon its audience.
