A novel optically anisotropic film useful for optical compensation of a liquid crystal display device is provided. The optically anisotropic film has a distorted twisted spiral structure, which is formed from a liquid-crystalline composition comprising a liquid-crystalline compound and at least one optically active compound the torsional force of which is changed by light. The optically anisotropic film is produced, for example by (
1
) heating a liquid-crystalline composition to temperature T
1
; and (
2
) irradiating the liquid-crystalline composition with polarized light at temperature T
2
, provided T
NI