An active matrix liquid crystal display device having a rapid optical response and being a wide viewing angle, the device comprising two glass plates and an insulator layer formed of an insulator film and an alignment film, the insulator layer being formed on each glass plate, wherein an pixel electrode and an active device connected to the pixel electrode are arranged, in a matrix state, on a first glass plate and a common electrode opposite to the pixel electrodes is arranged on a second glass plate, out of the two glass plates; a gap between the first glass plate and the second glass plate is 1 to 3 µm, a liquid crystal having a layer structure is filled in the gap, the liquid crystal is a ferrielectric liquid crystal or a ferrielectric liquid crystal composition which can change among a co-present state of two ferrielectric phases, two ferroelectric states and an intermediate state therebetween by an action of an electric field when a voltage is applied between the pixel electrode and the common electrode; crossed polarizers are arranged on the first glass plate and the second glass plate so as to bring the two ferroelectric states into a light state; and an analog gray-scaling display is performed on the basis of a voltage change with a small width of hysteresis between a change from a ferrielectric state to a ferroelectric state and a change from a ferroelectric state to a ferrielectric state and without a threshold, by controlling a voltage applied between the pixel electrode and the common electrode.