PURPOSE: To maintain contrast and visual field characteristics despite the increase in duty ratio by deviating the orientation directions of liquid crystals and the directions of polarizing films, and using optically anisotropic transparent films between a cell and the polarizing films or as polarizing protection films.

CONSTITUTION: Transparent films 8a, 8b having optical anisotropy in the film plane direction and the film thickness direction are inserted in one or both of between the polarizing plates 6a, 6b and a liquid crystal cell 5 or polarizing plates using said anisotropic films as protection films are used. If the upper and lower polarizing plates are rotated in the direction where the angle of intersection in the direction where the planes of polarization propagate from the directions mutually perpendicular to the orientation direction of the liquid crystal molecules and the polarization direction of the polarizing plates adjacent to the substrates 1a, 1b subjected to a 90° twist orientation decreases in a 1°W30° range from the rotating angle of the liquid crystal molecules, preferable matrix driving is obtained. It is necessary to select the product of the refractive index anisotropy of the anisotropic films and the film thicknesses as well as the product of the refractive index anisotropy of the liquid crystals and the layer thicknesses.