A projector capable of obtaining a smooth motion picture display of high quality without significantly reducing the utilization efficiency of light includes a light source device, a first lens array, a second lens array, a superimposing lens, a liquid crystal display device, and a projective optical system. The superimposing lens includes an anamorphic optical system to shape illumination luminous fluxes from the second lens array into illumination luminous fluxes having a cross-sectional shape that illuminates all the image formation regions of the liquid crystal display device in one direction along an X-axis direction, and a part of the image formation regions in the other direction along a Y-axis direction. The projector further includes a scanning device to scan the illumination luminous fluxes shaped by the superimposing lens in synchronism with a field frequency of the liquid crystal display device along the other direction on the image formation region.
