Patent ID: 8125597

Claim:
A liquid crystal display device comprising: a pair of polarizing films; a liquid crystal cell that is sandwiched between the pair of polarizing films; a retardation layer (A) of 70 μm or less in thickness, which is disposed between the liquid crystal cell and one of the pair of polarizing films; and a retardation layer (B) of 70 μm or less in thickness, which is disposed between the liquid crystal and the other of the pair of polarizing films, wherein the liquid crystal cell comprises: a pair of oppositely disposed substrates, at least one of which has at least a pair of electrodes; and an orientation-controlled liquid crystal layer that is disposed between the pair of oppositely disposed substrates, the electrodes creates an electric field having a component parallel to the substrate having the electrodes, and the retardation layers (A) and (B) satisfy the following formulae (1) to (3): RthU>RthD Formula (1): −20 nm≦RthD≦20 nm Formula (2): 20 nm<RthU≦60 nm Formula (3): wherein RthU represents a retardation in a thickness direction at a wavelength of 550 nm of the retardation layer (A), and RthD represents a retardation in a thickness direction at a wavelength of 550 nm of the retardation layer (B).