Optical compensatory sheet comprising substrate and optically anisotropic layer

A liquid crystal display comprising a liquid crystal cell of an STN mode, two polarizing elements placed on both sides of the liquid crystal cell, and one or two optical compensatory sheets placed between the liquid crystal cell and the polarizing element;

• wherein the optical compensatory sheet comprises a transparent substrate and an optically anisotropic layer comprising discotic liquid crystal molecules in this order from the polarizing element side, said discotic liquid crystal molecules being oriented in essentially mono domain alignment at an average inclined angle of 50° to 90 ° and further being twisted at a twist angle of 90° to 360°, and said average inclined angle being an average of angles between discotic planes of said discotic liquid crystal molecules and a surface of said transparent substrate.

An optical compensatory sheet which comprises a transparent substrate and an optically anisotropic layer comprising discotic liquid crystal molecules, wherein the discotic liquid crystal molecules are oriented in essentially mono domain alignment at an average inclined angle of 50° to 90°, and wherein the discotic liquid crystal molecules are twisted at a twist angle of 90° to 360°, said average inclined angle being an average of angles between discotic planes of said discotic liquid crystal molecules and a surface of said transparent substrate.