Film for optical elements

A film for optical elements comprising a liquid crystalline composition film having a thickness of 0.1 to 20 microns, said film heat treated at a temperature at the range of 50° C. to 300° C. for a period of time ranging between 10 seconds and 120 minutes, whereby liquid crystal orientation is formed, said film formed from a liquid crystalline composition, said composition comprising

• (a) a liquid crystalline polymer which exhibits an optically positive uniaxial property;
• and
• (b) 0.1 to 20 wt. %, based on the weight of said component (a), of a polycyclic compound having the general formula R1—(B1—A1)—(B2—A2)— . . . —(Bn—An)—Bn+1—R2, where R1 and R2 are independently a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms;
• A1 to An are each a ring structure bonded to different constituent atoms to two adjacent Bns;
• B1 to Bn+1 are each a single bond or an organic group of 1 to 4 atoms interposed between any of adjacent radicals R1, R2 and An;
• and n is an integer of 2 to 8, said polycyclic compound having a molecular weight of from 410 to 1,000.