Trivia

Norman Jewison managed only two takes of "The Temple" before he ran out of unbroken props, due to Ted Neeley's unrestrained energy when Jesus smashes everything.

Actors were required to "hydrate" every 20 minutes while on location in the desert. Huge, multicolored blocks of ice were brought in from Tel Aviv.

According to the commentary, all the wind shots in the film were done with natural wind. No machines were used.

Seventeen-year-old John Travolta auditioned for the role of Jesus. He didn't get the part, but producer Robert Stigwood kept him in mind for future productions. Four years later, Stigwood cast Travolta in Saturday Night Fever (1977).

"Then We Are Decided," in which Annas and Caiaphas discuss the threat of Jesus and decide to take it up with the council, was a totally new song written for this version. Owing to copyright issues, it has seldom been used onstage, most recently (and perhaps most notably) in the 2016/17 European touring production featuring Ted Neeley in the title role and directed by Massimo Romeo Piparo.

Norman Jewison: the dubbed voice of the third man at Peter's Denial ("But I saw you too / He looked just like you").