To provide a retardation film having an optically anisotropic layer where the direction having a minimum refractive index is substantially orthogonal to the normal direction of the film plane, by using a liquid crystal compound without performing a stretching operation, and also provide an elliptically polarizing film using the retardation film, a retardation film includes a transparent support having thereon at least one optically anisotropic layer, the optically anisotropic layer containing a layer formed of at least one liquid crystal compound, preferably a polymerizable compound or a polymer compound of expressing a biaxial liquid crystal phase. Furthermore, it is preferable that the retardation film include an alignment film and the alignment film contains a polymer having a hydrophobic group or an exclude-volume group.