To provide a cellulose ester film which is suitable as a protective film for a polarizer in a liquid crystal display (LCD), has a high elastic modulus, suppresses the shrinkage of the polarizer, prevents the occurrence of light leakage (referred to as 'white voids') of the polarizer caused by the separation between a liquid crystal cell and glass caused by the shrinkage of the polarizer, and sufficiently maintains the performance of the liquid crystal display.

The cellulose ester film is produced by forming a cellulose ester having a molecular weight distribution Mw/Mn, obtained by dividing weight average mol.wt. (Mw) by number average mol.wt. (Mn), of 1.8-3.0 and a weight average mol.wt. higher than 230,000 but lower than 380,000 into a film by a solution casting film formation method and orienting the resultant film. The method for producing the cellulose ester film includes the adjustment of the molecular weight distribution of the cellulose ester and the orientation of the film wherein the amount of a remaining solvent is in a specified range.