1. Why was the rope and grapnel on the ground at the entrance of the building? Remember the little girl picks it up. Was it meant to have blown off? Could it connect with a deleted scene or plotline that Malle decided not to include?
   I seem to recall that when I saw the movie for the first time, there was a scene that showed how Tavernier removed the rope and threw it nonchalantly over the railing down the building, and when he takes the elevator back down he gets stuck. However, I've since seen the movie another two times, and the scene that I recall is not there!
   Maybe I'm mixing things up with another movie?
   They may have deleted that scene from the movie. When the power was turned back on (by the night guard/police agent who dropped by and who dropped the keys on the floor) the elevator goes down, which seems to imply that when Tavernier got stuck he was on his way down after having removed the rope in front of his office window.
   ~
   Everyone is unique, except for me
   ~

1. The metal grapnel, much heavier than the thin rope, should have fallen to the floor when he released the rope. A black cat (crosses his path?) on the handrail outside the window just after he murdered Carala. Both a symbol of misfortune as well as a means by which the grapnel could be knocked off the balcony.

i totally missed what's up with that rope part too.
Golf clap? Golf clap.

I don't have definite answers just some thoughts.

1. Maybe that was to show the whole ordeal or being stuck in the elevator was all for nothing as the hook would have fallen and been taken off by an unsuspecting person.
2. Maybe she thought something went wrong, Julian was found out, the police had shown up along with the media because of her husband's death.
3. Don't remember that scene very much. Years ago and still in small towns, at night police officers go door to door checking to make sure the doors of businesses are locked. If a door is not locked, the officer will call the contact number for the business and wait on someone to come take a look around and lock up.