A ferroelectric liquid crystal apparatus includes: a ferroelectric liquid crystal cell including a pair of substrates each having an electrode and an alignment film thereon, the alignment films being respectively provided with uniaxial orientation axes (preferably those provided by rugging) which are provided in parallel and in the same oblique direction of from upper right to lower left or from lower left to upper right [from lower right to upper left or from upper left to lower right], a first polarizer having a transmission axis set within a region (I) defined by a clockwise (or counterclockwise) angle of 45.degree. from the direction of the uniaxial orientation axes, a second polarizer having a transmission axis set within a region (II) defined by a clockwise (or counter-clockwise) angle of 45.degree. from the direction forming right angles with the direction of the unilaxial orientation axes, and a mechanism for adjusting an angle of the ferroelectric liquid crystal cell standing up from a horizontal plane.