Christoph Waltz, 'Brave' win early Oscars

Director Mark Andrews and producer Katherine Sarafian of the film "Brave" arrive at the 85th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California February 24, 2013. [Photo/Agencies]

Upsets could be in store later on Sunday by France's Emmanuelle Riva, 86, in the Best Actress contest.

Riva, star of the harrowing Austrian entry "Amour," emerged as a dark horse in the past few days in a race that had been seen as a battle between "Zero Dark Thirty" actress Chastain and Jennifer Lawrence of "Silver Linings Playbook".

A win by Riva would make her the oldest person ever to win an acting Oscar.

"Amour," the story of how an elderly couple cope with the effects of the wife's debilitating strokes, is considered the overwhelming favorite for Best Foreign Language film.

Few surprises are expected in the Best Actor race and Best Supporting actress categories.

Daniel Day-Lewis as US President Abraham Lincoln is considered an unstoppable force to become the first man to win three Best Actor Oscars.

Anne Hathaway, who starved herself and chopped off her long brown locks to play tragic heroine Fantine in "Les Miserables," is considered the overwhelming favorite to win her first Oscar for her supporting role in the screen version of the popular stage musical.

The Oscar winners were chosen in secret ballots by some 5,800 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.