A liquid crystal display comprises two parallel spaced substrates and a liquid crystal layer with negative dielectric anisotropy interposed between the substrates. The ratio d/p, the cell gap d between the substrates to the pitch p of the liquid crystal layer, is equal to or less than 0.3, and the retardation value Δn*d may be in the range of 0.25-0.4. In absence of electric field, the liquid crystal molecules are arranged vertically to the substrates, and when the sufficient electric field is applied, the liquid crystal molecules are parallel to the substrates and twisted by 90° from one substrate to the other.To the outer surface of a liquid crystal cell having a liquid crystal material with a negative dielectric anisotropy, a combination of a-plate, c-plate or biaxial compensation films is attached. The direction having the largest refractive index of the a-plate or the biaxial film is parallel or perpendicular to the polarizing direction of adjacent polarizer. The difference between the summation of the retardation (nx−nz)*d of the a-plate, the c-plate and the biaxial films and the polarizers, and the retardation due to birefringence of the liquid crystal cell is equal to or less than 15% of the retardation due to birefringence of the liquid crystal cell. The retardation (nx−ny)*d of the a-plate or the biaxial film is 0-100 nm. nx, ny and nz are the refractive indices of the x, y and z axes respectively when the z axis is perpendicular to the surface of the liquid crystal cell, the x axis is in the surface of the liquid crystal cell and having the largest refractive index of the a-plate or the biaxial film and the y axis is in same plane as the x axis and perpendicular to the x axis, and d is the thickness of the film.