A laminate including a vertically oriented liquid crystal cured film and a horizontally oriented phase difference film is provided. The vertically oriented liquid crystal cured film is a cured product of a polymerizable liquid crystal composition containing a polymerizable liquid crystal compound and a dichroic coloring matter. The composition includes, as the dichroic coloring matter, at least one type of dichroic coloring matter having maximum absorption between a wavelength of 400 nm and a wavelength of 750 nm. The vertically oriented liquid crystal cured film is a cured product of the polymerizable liquid crystal composition that is cured in a state in which the polymerizable liquid crystal compound is oriented in a vertical direction with respect to a flat plane of the liquid crystal cured film, and satisfies the following formula (1) and the following formula (2):

0.001≤AxC≤0.3   (1);

AxC(z=60)/AxC>2   (2).

Provided is an optically anisotropic film exhibiting reverse wavelength dispersibility with excellent thickness-direction phase differences, a laminate, a circularly polarizing plate, and a display device. The optically anisotropic film of an embodiment of the present invention satisfies the following Requirements 1 to 4. Requirement 1: In a case of irradiation with P-polarized light and S-polarized light, which are linearly polarized light perpendicular to each other, from a direction inclined by 45° from a normal direction of a film surface of the optically anisotropic film, an absorption intensity ratio in a case of irradiation with S-polarized light to an absorption intensity in a case of irradiation with P-polarized light is 1.02 or more in an absorption intensity at a wavelength having a largest absorption in a wavelength range of 700 to 900 nm. Requirement 2: Re(550)<10 nm, Requirement 3: Re(800)<10 nm, Requirement 4: Rth(450)/Rth(550)<1,

The present invention provides a composition to form an optically anisotropic film exhibiting excellent reverse wavelength dispersibility, an optically anisotropic film, a circularly polarizing plate; a display device; and a near-infrared absorbing coloring agent. The composition includes a liquid crystal compound or a polymer, and a near-infrared absorbing coloring agent having a structural moiety including a coloring agent skeleton and a mesogenic group that is bonded to the coloring agent skeleton, in which the near-infrared absorbing coloring agent satisfies Condition 1 where an absolute value λ1 of a square root of a first eigenvalue and an absolute value λ2 of a square root of a second eigenvalue satisfy a relationship of Formula (A) λ2/λ1≤0.60; and Condition 2: An angle between a direction of a transition moment of absorption of the infrared absorbing coloring agent and a direction of an eigenvector of the first eigenvalue is 75.0° or more.

An object of the present invention is to provide a phase difference plate for an organic EL display device having excellent light resistance, an organic EL display device, and a method for producing a phase difference plate. The phase difference plate for an organic EL display device of an embodiment of the present invention has a phase difference layer formed from a composition containing a polymer having a repeating unit A including a photo-alignment group and a polymerizable liquid crystal compound having reciprocal wavelength dispersion, in which the photo-alignment group includes a double bond structure of C═C or C═N.

Provided is a polarizing element which has an excellent antireflection function as being applied to an image display device; and a circularly polarizing plate and an image display device, each of which has the polarizing element. The polarizing element has an alignment film and an anisotropic light-absorbing film formed using a dichroic substance, in which a degree S of alignment of the anisotropic light-absorbing film is 0.92 or more, and an average refractive index n.sub.ave at a wavelength of 400 to 700 nm of the alignment film is 1.55 to 2.0.

Provided is a polarizer with excellent durability and an image display device including the polarizer. The polarizer includes a composition for forming a polarizer which contains a polymer liquid crystal compound and a dichroic material, in which the dichroic material includes a first dichroic material and a second dichroic material, an absolute value of a difference between a log P value of the first dichroic material and a log P value of the second dichroic material is 1.0 or less, and a stabilization energy indicating an energy loss in a case where one dichroic material of the first dichroic material and the second dichroic material is incorporated into a structure singly formed of the other dichroic material that is aligned therein is 30 kcal/mol or less.

Provided is a liquid crystal composition capable of forming a light absorption anisotropic film with excellent light resistance, a dichroic material, a light absorption anisotropic film, a laminate, and an image display device. The liquid crystal composition contains a liquid crystal compound and a dichroic material having a structure represented by Formula (1).

##STR00001##

Provided is a liquid crystal composition capable of forming a light absorption anisotropic film with excellent light resistance, a dichroic material, a light absorption anisotropic film, a laminate, and an image display device. The liquid crystal composition contains a liquid crystal compound and a dichroic material having a structure represented by Formula (1).

##STR00001##

Provided is an optically anisotropic film exhibiting reverse wavelength dispersibility with excellent thickness-direction phase differences, a laminate, a circularly polarizing plate, and a display device. The optically anisotropic film of an embodiment of the present invention satisfies the following Requirements 1 to 4. Requirement 1: In a case of irradiation with P-polarized light and S-polarized light, which are linearly polarized light perpendicular to each other, from a direction inclined by 45° from a normal direction of a film surface of the optically anisotropic film, an absorption intensity ratio in a case of irradiation with S-polarized light to an absorption intensity in a case of irradiation with P-polarized light is 1.02 or more in an absorption intensity at a wavelength having a largest absorption in a wavelength range of 700 to 900 nm. Requirement 2: Re(550)<10 nm, Requirement 3: Re(800)<10 nm. Requirement 4: Rth(450)/Rth(550)<1.

Provided is a polarizer having a high degree of alignment and an image display device including the polarizer. The polarizer is formed of a polarizer-forming composition containing a polymer liquid crystal compound and a dichroic material, in which the polymer liquid crystal compound is a thermotropic liquid crystal and a crystalline polymer, the polymer liquid crystal compound and the dichroic material are horizontally aligned, and crystallinity of the polymer liquid crystal compound in the polarizer-forming composition is higher than the crystallinity of the polymer liquid crystal compound alone.