A display system for acting on light entering the system includes a reflective ferroelectric liquid crystal spatial light modulator and a polarizer arrangement. The polarizer arrangement includes a polarizer for polarizing the light entering the system and directing the polarized light into the spatial light modulator along an optical path having an optical path axis. The reflective spatial light modulator acts on the polarized light to produce an optical output that is directed from the spatial light modulator back into the polarizing arrangement along substantially the same optical path axis that the polarized light is directed into the spatial light modulator. The polarizing arrangement also includes an analyzer configured to receive and analyze the optical output of the spatial light modulator and to direct the analyzed optical output out of the system. A compensator is positioned in the optical path between the polarizer of the polarizing arrangement and the spatial light modulator and in the optical path between the spatial light modulator and the analyzer. The compensator includes a layer of ferroelectric liquid crystal light modulating medium switchable between a first compensator state and a second compensator state. The compensator is configured such that the compensator inverts the optical output of the spatial light modulator when the compensator is switched to the second state. The layer of ferroelectric liquid crystal light modulating medium of the compensator and the spatial light modulator having retardances that are substantially different than one another.