The present invention is to provide an optical film having optically anisotropic layer having excellent durability, and a polarizing plate and an image display device using the same. An optical film of the present invention is an optical film having at least an optically anisotropic layer, in which the optically anisotropic layer is a layer obtained by polymerizing a polymerizable liquid crystal composition containing a predetermined liquid crystal compound and a polymerization initiator, and an extrapolated glass transition starting temperature of the optically anisotropic layer is 70 C. or higher.

An optically anisotropic layer including a polymer and a compound having a mesogen skeleton, wherein the polymer has a property such that a film of the polymer that is formed by a coating method using a solution of the polymer satisfies nz(P)>nx(P)ny(P), wherein nx(P) is a refractive index in a direction which, among in-plane directions of the film, gives a maximum refractive index, ny(P) is a refractive index in a direction which is perpendicular to the direction of nx(P) among the in-plane directions of the film, and nz(P) a refractive index in a thickness direction of the film, and the compound having a mesogen skeleton shows an in-plane retardation with reverse wavelength distribution under specific conditions.

There is provided a display device exhibiting a good color reproducibility, even when observed through polarized sunglasses. A display device comprises a display element, and a polarizer a and an optical film X on a surface on a light emitting surface side of the display element, wherein L.sub.1, which is the light incident vertically on the optical film X, among light incident on the optical film X from the display element side, satisfies a specific condition, and L.sub.2, which is the light emitting vertically from the light emitting surface side of the optical film X, and passing through a polarizer b having the absorption axis parallel to the absorption axis of the polarizer a, satisfies a specific condition.

A display device according to the present invention includes: a first substrate; a second substrate; a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate; a light wavelength conversion layer disposed over the second substrate; a first polarizing plate disposed under the first substrate; a second polarizing plate disposed between the second substrate and the light wavelength conversion layer; and an optical compensation member disposed between the first substrate and the first polarizing plate and/or between the second substrate and the second polarizing plate.

A liquid crystal composition including a polymerizable liquid crystal compound capable of expressing birefringence with reverse wavelength distribution and a surfactant containing a fluorine atom, a 1-octanol/water partition coefficient of the surfactant being less than 5.0.

A liquid crystal display panel includes: a liquid crystal cell that has a liquid crystal layer; first and second linear polarizers arranged on an observer side and a back surface side of the liquid crystal cell; a first retardation layer arranged between the first linear polarizer and the liquid crystal layer; and a second retardation layer arranged between the first retardation layer and the second linear polarizer. The first and second linear polarizers and the first and second retardation layers are arranged so that at least one of following formulas (A) and (B) is satisfied:
(cos 2.sub.1).sup.2/sin 3/2(A)
(cos 2.sub.2).sup.2/sin 3/2(B) where a difference of retardation between the first retardation layer and the second retardation layer for light with a wavelength of 550 nm is [rad], an angle formed by an absorption axis of the first linear polarizer and a slow axis of the first retardation layer is .sub.1, and an angle formed by an absorption axis of the second linear polarizer and a slow axis of the second retardation layer is .sub.2.

A polymerizable composition of the present invention has favorable solubility, and an optically anisotropic body using the polymerizable composition is unlikely to discolor and is excellent in heat resistance and light resistance. The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a polymer obtained by polymerizing the polymerizable composition and an optically anisotropic body using the polymer. The present invention relates to a polymerizable composition which includes a compound having at least one mesogenic group and satisfying an expression represented by Expression (1), and which satisfies an expression represented by Expression (2).
0.5YI/n500Expression (2)

There is provided a polarizing plate with a retardation layer that can achieve an image display apparatus having excellent durability and excellent weatherability, and having an excellent hue. A polarizing plate with a retardation layer according to an embodiment of the present invention includes in this order: a polarizing plate including a protective layer and a polarizer; a retardation layer; and a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer. The protective layer has a light transmittance at a wavelength of 380 nm of 10% or less. The polarizing plate has a light transmittance at a wavelength of 380 nm of 5% or less. The pressure-sensitive adhesive layer has a light transmittance at a wavelength of 405 nm of 5% or less. The polarizing plate with a retardation layer has a light transmittance at a wavelength of 405 nm of 3% or less.

An object of the present invention is to provide a phase difference film that can exhibit sufficient reciprocal wavelength dispersibility. The present invention includes a copolymer containing at least one selected from a unit represented by Formula (1) and a unit represented by Formula (2), and a unit represented by Formula (3), in which 20 nm<Re (548)<300 nm, 0.5<Re (446)/Re (548)<1.0, and 1.0<Re (629)/Re (548)<2.0. Here, Re (446), Re (548), and Re (629) represent in-plane retardations at wavelengths of 446 nm, 548 nm, and 629 nm, respectively.

A liquid crystal display panel includes: a liquid crystal cell that has a liquid crystal layer; first and second linear polarizers arranged on an observer side and a back surface side of the liquid crystal cell; a first retardation layer arranged between the first linear polarizer and the liquid crystal layer; and a second retardation layer arranged between the first retardation layer and the second linear polarizer. The first and second linear polarizers and the first and second retardation layers are arranged so that at least one of following formulas (A) and (B) is satisfied:

1/3(cos 2.sub.1).sup.2/sin 3/2(A)

1/3(cos 2.sub.2).sup.2/sin 3/2(B) where a difference of retardation between the first retardation layer and the second retardation layer for light with a wavelength of 550 nm is [rad], an angle formed by an absorption axis of the first linear polarizer and a slow axis of the first retardation layer is .sub.1, and an angle formed by an absorption axis of the second linear polarizer and a slow axis of the second retardation layer is .sub.2.