Combination of optical elements

An optical retardation film comprising at least one layer of an anisotropic polymer having an optical symmetry axis substantially parallel to the plane of the layer as used in the combination of optical elements according to any of the preceding claims, said optical retardation film being obtainable by

• A) coating a mixture of a polymerizable mesogenic material comprising
• a) at least one reactive mesogen having at least one polymerizable functional group,
• b) an initiator,
• c) optionally a non-mesogenic compound having two or more polymerizable functional groups, and
• d) optionally a stabilizer
• on a substrate or between two substrates in form of a layer,
• B) aligning the polymerizable mesogenic material such that the optical symmetry axis is substantially parallel to the plane of the layer,
• C) polymerizing said mixture by exposing it to heat or actinic radiation,
• D) optionally repeating the steps A), B) and C) at least one more time,
• and
• E) optionally removing the substrate or, if present, one or two of the substrates from the polymerized material,